Sweet Pea
by der kapitan
Summary: High school is a battleground, and Aome but one of many soldiers on the field. Sweet Amoris is the toughest of them all, and she's not sure if she's gonna make it out alive. Castiel/OC/Ken — "You aren't fooling me, Aome."
1. military brat

Author's Note:

Hello everyone! I'm new to the My Candy Love fandom, but I love the game and am super excited to start writing this. :) My account on MCL is derrocket if you'd like to add me; I'm always excited to make new friends and get messages.

* * *

**Sweet Pea  
**a My Candy Love (© ChinoMiko) fanfiction

Chapter One  
Military Brat

* * *

_Opening Song:_ "Flowers in Your Hair" - The Lumineers

* * *

"Sweet Pea, is there anything else?"

I look into the back of the moving truck, which is completely empty, to Aunt Lonnie's living room, which is packed from ceiling to floor with cardboard boxes. "No, I'm pretty sure that's it," I reply. "There's that box in the car but— Oh, no Dad, I totally got it."

I run over to grab it from him, but he keeps a firm grip on it and holds it away from me. "It's fine, I can handle it. You can probably help your mom and Lonnie start unpacking. I never realized how much you hoarded until now." He playfully ruffles my hair with one hand before heading inside.

I stick my tongue out at him as I readjust my headband. "It's not hoarding! They're memories!"

Dad snorts. "Memories—?" Before he can finish what he wants to say (which I'm ninety-nine percent sure was going to be insulting), Mom tugs on his ear. "Ow, ow, ow, okay. Alright, Sweet Pea, I won't judge your memories as long as I don't have to carry all five hundred pounds of them again." He puts the box down next to the one labeled '_MUNICH,_' then puts his hands on his hips. "That's all then, isn't it?"

"Yup, I think so."

Mom practically sobs when she hugs me. "Are you sure you're okay with this, baby? You don't have to, honest you don't!"

"Summer…" Dad puts a hand on her shoulder, pulls her away a bit so that I can actually breathe. "We talked about this."

"I-I know, but…" Her lower lip quivers before she squeezes me tightly in a final hug. "You're right, hun." Mom wipes her eyes, smearing her mascara and eyeliner in the process, and smiles as brightly as she can. People I say I look more like my mom than my dad — curly brown hair, average height, heart-shaped face — but my smile's nothing like hers. Even when her makeup is smudged and her eyes are all red, her smile lights up the room. "You'll have so much fun here."

Aunt Lonnie throws her arms around mine and Mom's shoulders, pulling us close. "Of course she will! If anyone knows how to party, it's me!"

Even though it's a joke, Dad half glares at her. "Lonnie, remember that Aome's here to study."

She scoffs and waves him off. "Pish posh. I know that, Laurent! But she's also here to make friends and have fun." Aunt Lonnie winks and nudges me with her elbow. "And a little cutie like you will definitely make some friends and have fun, if you know what I mean." Both me and Dad turn red, but definitely for different reasons.

"We'll check up on you when we can," Mom says, before Dad can combust. "Write letters and phone and Skype… You set that up on my laptop, right? I can Skype you whenever, right?"

"Only when I sign on," I say. "When the little thing turns green and there's a check by my name." My mom has an iPhone, an iPad, and MacBook Pro, but she's terrible with technology. "But you really don't have to Skype me every time I get on."

"No, no, I want to!" I mentally remind myself to stay on invisible while Mom's online. "We'll talk every day. It'll be like you're with us, right, hun?" When she looks at Dad, her eyes start tearing up again and I can feel myself wanting to cry too.

Dad smiles as he kisses her on the forehead and gives her shoulder a squeeze. "Right. We want you to keep in touch, kiddo. Lonnie'll give you plenty of help with the fun, but I don't want you to forget about why you're really here, okay?" I nod and he hugs me; Dad and I almost never hug. He kisses the crown of my head. "Make me proud. I'll miss you, Sweet Pea."

I pull away sniffing and feeling bad for smearing makeup on his fancy military jacket. "I will." Even if it's just family around, crying is super embarrassing so I try to salvage what's left of my face by wiping at it with the back of my hand. "You guys aren't leaving yet, are you? I thought we were gonna get dinner with Ken and George after they finished moving in."

"Hm." Dad glances at his watch. "George told me he'd call as soon as they were done, but…"

The door bell rings and Aunt Lonnie skips over to open it; standing on the step is my best friend and his super intimidating father. "Aome!" Ken says, hugging me as soon as he's in the house. His dad firmly shakes my dad's hand like all manly military men do. "How are you?"

"You mean since last night when I talked to you on the phone?" I tease, laughing. "Good. We just finished unloading everything, but now I have to move it all into my room and get settled…" Looking at all the boxes now, I kind of regret all that hoarding. It'll probably take me days to get everything where I want it to be. "But I guess I'm happy I'm finally here. Driving cross-country is really hard… My legs are still asleep."

"I wish we could've gone together…" He pouts, but glances at George who's in deep conversation with Dad. Even as far as military parents go, George is pretty strict. My dad's big on discipline too, especially in comparison to my mom, but he's no where near as bad as Ken's dad. I do like George, probably because I've known him my entire life, but he's definitely intimidating. I know Ken loves his dad, but he's also terrified of him and I'm not sure how healthy of a relationship that is. "We're both here now. Together!"

I grin. "Always together."

If it isn't totally obvious by now, I'm a military brat. I was born in Oregon but only lived there until I was five; since then, I've lived in Albuquerque, Tokyo, Munich, Paris, and Washington, D.C. Honestly, it's been a little hard getting used to new places and trying to settle down without _really_ settling down (I mean, I have to move in like two years anyway), but I didn't hate it. I loved traveling and meeting so many different people. Most people won't get to travel in their entire lives as much as I have in sixteen years, so I'm really grateful.

I like to think that I'm not one of those socially awkward kids who can't talk to others just because she never stayed in the same place for very long. I don't talk to a lot of the kids I used to be friends with and some I'm just friends with on Facebook and occasionally write letters to, but I'm not lonely or anything. George and my dad have known each other for a long time and they're always stationed in the same place, so Ken's been with me in most of my moves. The longest time we spent apart was the two years I was in Paris and he was in Denver, and even then he wrote me letters every day. If I'm totally honest with myself, Ken's the only friend I really have.

"So," Mom says, standing between us, "are you guys ready for school tomorrow?"

Ken nods enthusiastically. "I'm just happy I won't be going to a new school alone!"

"I'm so glad the two of you have always had each other."

I notice that Mom is on the brink of tears again, and Dad swoops in to the rescue just as I start to panic. "Well, I don't have a preference, but I know the kids want something with good dessert, right?" he asks. Out of the corner of my eye, I catch Ken trying to hide his beloved chocolate cookies behind his back. He grins sheepishly when he realizes he's been caught. "Lonnie, you know this area better than we do. Have any suggestions?"

Aunt Lonnie's face lights up; even with the dyed magenta hair and the chubbier face, she looks like my mom. They have the same smile. "Absolutely!"

* * *

It's hard to say goodbye, even if I've been doing it my entire life. Though I guess it's different when it's your parents and not some kids you met in the hallway and the classroom. Mom hugs me and cries for a full five minutes before Dad yanks her off. He pats me on the head, tells me to read and study hard, and calls me "Sweet Pea" one last time before they both get into the truck. I grin, salute, and stand on the curb until they disappear over the horizon. It doesn't hit me that I'm _still_ standing there until Aunt Lonnie gives my hand a little tug. "Let's go inside and start unpacking, Aome," she says.

Aunt Lonnie is my mom's younger sister by four years. They only have a couple physical similarities, but they're totally alike in personality. She isn't married and she doesn't have any kids, but Aunt Lonnie is really happy and she loves life so much. It's gonna be hard without Mom and Dad, but I'm glad I get to be with her.

"You really do have a lot of stuff!" she says as we start making my bed. "I love collecting trinkets and souvenirs too, so I understand completely."

"Dad says I have a really habit of not throwing anything away," I admit. "All of it means something to me, but unpacking all of this is gonna suck." I fall back onto the yellow star sheets and close my eyes. It's probably only eight o'clock and I'm already exhausted. "We don't have to do it all tonight."

"You mean you don't want to do any of it tonight," she says, laughing. Aunt Lonnie sits next to me and strokes my hair back the way she used to when I was a kid. "That's alright. You've got plenty of time to settle in, Sweet Pea. What do you say we do some shopping tonight, hmm? I'm sure you could use a new wardrobe." I quirk an eyebrow and glance around at the five suitcases full of clothes. "A new wardrobe for a new place! C'mon, what teenage girl says no to shopping?"

"Not this girl," I say, sitting up with a grin. "I'm ready when you are!"

Aunt Lonnie claps and jumps up. "Alright, I know just the place!" Probably because he knows we're leaving now, her German Shepherd comes running in and jumps on top of me. "Woah! Down, Sherlock, down!" He whines and lick at my face before curling up in a ball on my bed, where he'll probably be when we get back. "He's just missed you so much. He's afraid you'll leave and won't come back again."

"I'm sorry, Sherlock," I say, pouting as I hold his face. "I'll be home soon, don't worry."

"Yes, yes, we'll be home soon. Let's go, Aome, the stores won't be open forever!"

We make sure Sherlock has plenty of food and water (if he decides to ever vacate my bed) before heading out in her yellow VW Beetle. Sweet Amoris is a cute town, though it's a lot smaller than the other cities I've lived in. Aunt Lonnie points out the houses of her friends (aka every house that we pass), the bank, the jewelry shop, the dollar store, some restaurants, and finally our destination: a small purple boutique. "The high school is just down the road from here," she explains as we walk in. "But you have plenty of time for that tomorrow. Right now, let's just focus on— Oh, Leigh! Hey there, sugar!"

The guy she's talking to reminds me of a figure in one of the court portraits from the Victorian era. "Good evening, Miss Lonnie," he greets. "Ah, this is must be the niece you've been talking about."

"You've been talking about me?" I ask her.

She giggles and waves her hand dismissively. "Of course I have, Sweet Pea! I haven't been able to contain my excitement, you know." She hugs me tightly as she drags me over to Sir Nicely-Dressed. "Leigh, this is Aome Sauveterre, my niece. Aome, this is Leigh, the owner of this clothes shop."

"Owner?" I ask, looking at him. "But you're only a couple years older than me."

"I didn't finish school," he explains, and I feel myself blushing in embarrassment. I probably shouldn't start prying into people's lives since I just moved here. "But I did it because I love fashion very much." He smiles, trying to make me feel better. "If I can remember correctly, you're in high school, right?"

"Yes."

"So you'll be going to Sweet Amoris High, then. My brother goes there; maybe you'll meet him."

"Lysander isn't here today?" Aunt Lonnie asks. I assume Lysander is his brother.

Leigh shakes his head and makes his way around the counter. "No, he and Rosalya went shopping for school supplies. I believe he also said he was going to meet up with Castiel." I yelp when he suddenly takes me by the shoulders and steers me towards one of the clothing racks. "But you can meet and get to know them later. Tonight we're here to shop just for you, right?"

"That's right!" she sings, skipping up from behind. "I only shop here, you know. Leigh's been my only fashion designer for the past two years!" So _this_ is the guy who makes all of her fairy and cosplay costumes? Most of the clothes in here look normal, but… "I'm sure he'll find something that looks great on you."

I try to decline as politely as I can. "O-oh no, I can look on my own. It's fine, I—"

"Nonsense! Leigh, work your magic!" Aunt Lonnie gives him a pat on the back, kisses my cheek, then prances over to a wall covered in what looks like wings. My mom's side of the family is mostly a bunch of hippie weirdos (what else do you expect from the West Coast?), but they're never boring and most families can't honestly make that claim. "Oooh, it looks like you got some new ones in…"

"Your aunt is my favorite customer," Leigh says quietly, wearing a fond smile. "Some of her commissions are a bit difficult to make, but the challenge is great. Also, her chocolate cake is like magic."

I hold out my arms to hold some of the clothes he pulls out for me. "Aunt Lonnie's really popular around here, huh?"

"Yes, absolutely. We all love her. Mmm, hold still for a moment, will you? Yellow would look very good on you." He drapes the canary yellow dress over my shoulder, then moves on to the next rack. "Lonnie told me you've done a lot of traveling because your father's in the military."

"Yup. I've been to Germany, Japan, France, New Mexico, and D.C."

"What made you want to move out here? Sweet Amoris is wonderful, of course, but very small in comparison to the places you just listed." He smiles in a way that makes me think he's very popular with the ladies.

"My parents agreed that I should finish high school in one place," I say. "Since I've been moving so much, they're afraid I won't get the education I need to get into a good college." Actually, that's just my dad. My mom didn't even go to college, so I'm not sure if she cares if I choose to go or not. Personally, I'm still trying to figure it out. "So they decided to send me here to live with Aunt Lonnie."

"Have you ever been here before?"

"We've visited a couple of times, but I don't know it very well." I squeak when he drops a beige fedora on my head. "She talks about it all the time, though. Aunt Lonnie, I mean. She loves this place more than her hometown."

He chuckles. "To be perfectly honest, I'd say Sweet Amoris is her hometown now. Her real home, I mean. Perhaps you'll grow as fond of it as she has."

I don't know Leigh, so I don't tell him that I've never really had a home before and I wouldn't be able to tell. I just smile, say, "Maybe," and let him keep throwing random articles of clothing at me. He seems like a nice enough guy and I figure there's no point in bringing down the mood with technicalities. "So does anyone else help out with the store? Or are you the only one?"

"Are you looking for a job?"

I flash a guilty grin in response.

"Well, in short, yes I am the only one who runs the store," he says, much to my disappointment. "I occasionally get help from my brother and girlfriend as well, so I don't require any extra hands. The bakery next door is looking for some help, though. One of their employees graduated and left for college, so if you want I can put in a word for you."

I know my dad said he wants me to focus on school and studying and college, but having a job and making money shouldn't be _that_ much of a distraction, right? Besides, working in a bakery means free cookies and pastries, and what's more magical than that? "Really? Thank you so much!"

"It's no problem. I wouldn't be doing my duty if I didn't help out Lonnie's beloved niece." I blush again and feel like a total idiot. I swear I know how to talk to boys without turning into a tomato, but the way this guy talks makes me all kinds of giddy. Maybe because he reminds me of those handsome gentlemen in period dramas I'm obsessed with. "Well, I think we've gone through quite a bit. Why don't you try some things on while I help out your aunt?"

He holds open the purple curtain for me and I step into the dressing room to try on the fifty outfits he picked out. After I slip on the green-and-blue summer dress, I smooth out the soft fabric and spin around in front of the full-length mirror. Geez, my makeup looks terrible… I inwardly groan at the fact that Leigh probably wanted to give me tips on how to properly apply eye liner, then try to salvage what's left of it with my finger. "I need to start carrying around a pocket mirror or something…" I push the curtain aside to show the dress to Aunt Lonnie. "Hey, I kind of like this, but it's not really my st— Uh, you're not my aunt."

Redhead raises an eyebrow. "Good observation. Did you get an A+ on your pointing out the obvious test?"

My jaw drops. What an ass! "Did you get an A+ on your being a douche canoe test?"

He snorts. "Oo, good one."

"Castiel." Victorian Prince Number Two walks over, putting some cash into his fancy wallet. "I'm ready to go." His eyes wander over to me; they're heterochromatic like mine. "Please excuse us." He murmurs something to Angry Ginger, and the two walk off without looking back.

"Oh, Sweet Pea, you look so lovely!" Aunt Lonnie prances over with a new pair of wings attached to her back. "You should definitely get it. No no no, no protests! I'm getting it for you, definitely. C'mon, let's try on the other things…"

I don't have much of a choice since she pushes me back into the dressing room. "Who was that?" I ask as I pull off the dress and try on a cream-colored blouse.

"Who?"

"The guy with the pretty eyes and the red-haired menace."

"You met Lysander and Castiel? They left so soon, though… Well, the one who dresses like Leigh is his brother Lysander, obviously. The other one is—"

"Castiel," I say.

"That's right! Wow, it looks like you're already making friends. I'm impressed, Aome!" Right… Friends. "Now come out, I want to see what Leigh picked out for you. Oh yes, yes, yes, absolutely. Put that in the to go pile as well. Alright, next!" I resist the urge to groan when I look at all the clothes Leigh handed to me. "Chop chop, Sweet Pea, we don't have all night!"

If only.

* * *

_Closing Song:_ "On Top of the World" - Imagine Dragons

* * *

I do have a vague idea for pairings right now, but nothing is set in stone. (Though I will tell you that there is no Leigh/Aome; she's just fascinated by him.) Also, since there isn't too wide a cast of characters, I'm open to receiving your OCs/Candies if you'd like to be in the story. :) Just PM/review and we'll figure something out.

Until next time!

**xx**_, _der kapitan


	2. gentleman breeding ground

Author's Note:

Thanks to everyone who's read/reviewed/favorited/etc. so far. I love hearing from you and hope to hear from more of you as this progresses. :) Special thanks to **Miss Hanamura **and **Guest** for reviewing! Also, I've made a tumblr ask/rp blog for Aome; it's mcl-aome.

* * *

**Sweet Pea  
**a My Candy Love (© ChinoMiko) fanfiction

Chapter Two  
Gentleman Breeding Ground

* * *

_Opening Song:_ "Flowers in Your Hair" - The Lumineers

* * *

This school is too big, there are too many people, I think I saw a dog running around the hallways — are pets allowed here? If this is the case, this school is awesome — I keep getting run into lockers, and I feel like I'm drowning. All of my experience with schooling is confined to home schooling (it was for like two years, I swear) and private school, so I'm definitely intimidated. In teen movies, isn't the new kid supposed to be introduced to a welcoming committee or something?

"Aome!"

I cling to Ken as soon as I see him. "Ken, there you are!" I say, relieved to see a familiar face.

His face turns pink, which isn't really anything out of the ordinary. I got my touchy-feely-ness from my mom's side of the family, and he's been exposed to it since we were four but he still hasn't gotten used to it. "Sorry we couldn't come to school together," he says. "My dad wanted to make sure I had everything before my first day. He's still kinda mad that I didn't want to go to the private school."

I guess there's a private parochial school just outside of Sweet Amoris. My parents thought about sending me there since I'm used to it, but Aunt Lonnie insisted that I just go to the local high school. Since George really likes rules and discipline and stuff, I can see why he'd wanna send Ken there, but obviously I'm glad he let him come here.

"It's fine," I reply, grinning as I give his arm an affectionate squeeze. "I was just having a minor mental breakdown."

He looks like he's going to die from guilt until he realizes I'm kidding. Ken's genuine caring nature has always been my favorite part about him. I mean, I also love that he brings me chocolate cookies and helps me with math, but the fact that he's so sweet is what makes him a gold star.

"Have you gone to the principal's office yet?" he asks.

I decide to not tell him that I forgot we had to go to the principal's office because now I feel like an idiot. "Nope! I've been waiting for you, so let's get going." I take his hand and poke my head into random classrooms, trying to find the office. "Geez, there are so many rooms in this building… Are we in the right building?"

"We could just ask someone," he suggests.

"No, no, we definitely don't need to do that. We'll find it!" It _would_ save a lot of time, I guess, but stopping to ask for help just seems kinda… unnecessary? Besides, it takes the adventure out of discovering a new place. "I mean, if it's not in here, then there are only like three other buildings, right? Oh wow, those are some stairs…"

Someone taps me on the shoulder, and when I spin around I see that it's a cute old lady in pink. "Excuse me, dear, but there's no running in the hallway allowed," she says. "I didn't know youngsters like you were so excited for school to start, but please try to contain yourselves."

I grin sheepishly while Ken hides behind me, which isn't too hard to do since we're the same height. "Sorry, ma'am. It's our first day, so we're just trying to find our way around. Can you tell us where the principal's office is?"

"I am the principal," she replies, pushing the glasses further up the bridge of her nose. "You two must be our new students, then. Ahh, I'm sorry, but my memory's no good these days. What are your names?"

"Aome Sauveterre," I answer.

"Kentin Lancaster," Ken says quietly.

Her eyebrows raise. "Oh, that's right. Both of your fathers called to make sure that everything's in place. Kentin, was it? Can you please let your father know that we have everything in order and that he doesn't need to call anymore? He's hogging the lines and terrifying my new secretary." I try not to laugh while he blushes. George _would_ be that dad calling every five minutes to make sure his son's properly enrolled. "Follow me, please."

She takes us back down the hall and into a room we'd apparently passed right by. It's just the teachers lounge, and most of the teachers are still getting their morning coffee and catching up on summer gossip. "Maybe she doesn't have her own office?" Ken whispers, probably sensing my confusion.

"What kind of principal doesn't have her own office?" I whisper back. He shrugs.

She grabs some papers from a woman sitting behind a large desk, then walks back over and hands them to us. "These are your registration forms," she says. "You need to fill them out and turn them back in to either me or my secretary. You'll also need to get your ID printed out and pay a twenty-five dollar enrollment fee. I believe I informed your parents about these things, so you should have what you need." I decide not to tell her that my parents told me none of this and Aunt Lonnie has a terrible memory so she can't be held responsible for remembering to tell me. "If you have any questions, Nathaniel should be able to help you."

"Who's Nathaniel?"

Her eyes practically light up at the question. I'm gonna assume he's her golden boy. "The student council president. You'll find him in the first room on the left in this hallway." With that, she throws us back into the abyss.

"I'm definitely not prepared for this," I say dismally, glaring at the small print on the papers. "Did you know about this?"

Ken nods with a tinge of shame. "Yeah, my dad made sure I brought my insurance card and all these documents so I could fill this out…" I'd say color me shocked, but I'm more surprised that George didn't show up to fill out the forms himself. "I-if you need any help, I'm sure I can—"

"No, it's fine," I say. "You should finish up and get to class. Your dad'll be mad if you're late on the first day." I grin and he tries to smile in return, but it's definitely strained. I wish George weren't so hard on him. "Good luck, and hopefully I'll see you soon? I'm gonna try to get some help from this Nathaniel character."

"Okay. Oh! Here." He reaches into his backpack and pulls out a bag of chocolate chip cookies. "I made some last night! I was gonna share some with the class to try and make some friends, but I kinda want you to have them."

I know the right thing to do would be to decline them and tell him to share them with some new friends, but I love Ken's homemade cookies more than I love Aunt Lonnie's cake. And that's a lot of love. "Thanks so much, Ken!" I squeal, taking them and hugging him all in one motion. When I pull away, his face is red and his grin takes up his entire face. "Maybe we'll have class together or lunch or something. If not, have a great day."

"Thanks, I will!" He leaves me to fill out his forms, with a small skip in his step.

The hallways start to empty, which means I don't have much time before classes start. Part of me just wants to skip classes for the day and wander around, but if my dad found out he'd be furious and probably find some way to punish me even if we're on opposite sides of the globe. Sighing, I try to read what I need to fill out. I can fill out approximately twenty percent of this sheet on my own, and the rest I'd have to leave blank because why the hell would I know all the vaccinations I've received in my life? I don't know how President Nathaniel is supposed to fill out the (literal) blank spaces of my life, but I figure it doesn't hurt to ask.

I poke my head into the room the principal mentioned; inside is a blond bombshell decked out in khaki and a pocket protector. "Hey there," I say, making myself known. He looks up from his work with surprise, and I notice that his eyes are a warm shade of gold. "I am currently in search of one student council president. Would you happen to be him?"

"Yes, I'm Nathaniel," he says, standing up. He walks over and shakes my hand. (His hands are nice and large and somehow kinda pretty looking.) "I've never seen you around before."

"I just transferred. I'm Aome."

"Nice to meet you."

"Thanks." I rethink my words. "Er, I mean, nice to meet you too." While he chuckles, I pull out the forms that will formally enroll me in this school. "I went to talk to the principal and apparently I need to fill out these forms and do a bunch of other stuff. The problem is that I don't really know a lot of the answers to these questions, so…" I trail off, praying that he has a solution because otherwise I'll feel like (more of) an idiot.

"You had to send in some documents before coming here, so I'll pull them out and they should be able to help," he says. "If you take a seat over there, I'll be just a second." He wanders over to a bunch of filing cabinets and I can't help but wonder if all student council members have this much access to information. Kinda seems like a bad idea, giving kids the power to pry and blackmail and whatnot. (Or maybe I'm over thinking things and high school student council is nothing like normal politics.) "What's your last name?"

"Sauveterre."

He fingers through a bunch of manila folders. "That sounds French."

"Yup. My dad's family is from the south of France."

"Have you ever been?"

"I lived in Paris for a couple of years. My dad's in the military, so we did a lot of moving around."

Nathaniel pulls out my file (it's kinda big, yeesh) and places it on the table I'm sitting at. "Really? That's incredible. My family and I went to France on vacation once, but it was only for a week and I was just a kid." We make more small talk (mostly I just zone out and wonder what kind of conditioner he uses because, Jesus, his hair is great), and he helps me fill in the paperwork. When we're done, he takes it and promises to turn it in for me. "You have to get your picture taken for your ID, so I'll do this for you."

"Are you sure?" I ask, feeling kind of bad about sending some guy I don't know on an errand. There's also the possibility that he could steal my information and therefore my identity, but that's just a small possibility and I'm willing to risk it.

He smiles. "Of course. ID pictures are taken in the library. Have a wonderful day, Aome, and I hope I'll see you around more."

I pray to God that Sweet Amoris breeds gentlemen like Nathaniel. "Thanks!" I wave goodbye and head for the library. I don't realize that I don't actually know where the library is until I'm halfway down the hall with no one else in sight. A normal person would go back to Mr. President and ask for directions. I don't believe in asking for directions when I'm fully capable of finding it myself, so I continue on. (I'm willing to admit that, in addition to not being completely normal, I can be a bit of an idiot. But at least I have fun.)

Up the stairs, down the stairs, left, right, classroom a, classroom b, bathroom, left again— nope. No library. I am totally lost.

I walk out the doors and stand in the middle of the courtyard; I am a lonely little girl in a barren world. "This adventure sucks," I mutter.

"Has the little girl gotten lost?" I spin around to glare at the person behind me.

The husky voice belongs to Aggravated Redhead, who is wearing something other than the frown I thought was inscribed into his face: a smirk. "You," is all I say. _Of course_ he goes to Sweet Amoris High School. Anything else would be too convenient.

He quirks an eyebrow. "Me."

Growing desperate (and reading the time on my wrist), I decide to ask for help. "Could you possibly tell me where the library is? I need to get my ID picture taken."

"Do I look like a tour guide?" Snarky bastard. This is exactly why I don't stop to ask for directions.

"Oh, right, my bad. I didn't read the 'Unhelpful Douchepants' sign underneath your Winged Skull death metal t-shirt. Sorry."

Irritating Ginger looks amused, which is the absolute opposite of what I wanted, and I resist the urge to kick him in the shin. He's probably just some misunderstood, angry teen and I totally respect that, but I'm going to be late to class and my dad's gonna have a field day when he finds out. "You're not gonna get any help with being sassy," he says as he crosses his arms across his chest. "If you say 'please,' I might think about helping you."

This guy is not the brand of chivalric gentleman I was hoping for; darn Nathaniel for getting my hopes up about this place. Still, I really need to get this done. "Please," I say. When he says nothing, I clasp my hands in front of me to keep from trying to tear out my own hair in frustration.

Finally, he sighs. "You caught me on a good day. It's the last door down the hall on the second floor. The windows on the door are covered up from the inside because some kid broke them, but it's open."

"Thanks!" I'm surprised that he actually decided to help out, so I grin thankfully and throw out my previous detestations of him. "I owe you one!"

As I race to beat the bell, I think I hear him grumble, "I'll remember that."

* * *

_Closing Song:_ "On Top of the World" - Imagine Dragons

* * *

I think I might have mentioned this before, but this story is going to be a mixture of canon and stuff I come up with on my own. I don't wanna follow the entire game word by word because that gets boring to read (and obviously you guys know what they're gonna say if you've played it haha).

**xx**_, _der kapitan


	3. put it in the oven for baby and me

Author's Note:

Hellooo everyone! Thank you for all your support. :) Again, special thanks to **Elisabeth**, **SageHope**, **Elise1999**, **pagoose**, **Crickett5** and **moriahlatham** for the reviews!

* * *

**Sweet Pea  
**a My Candy Love (© ChinoMiko) fanfiction

Chapter Three  
Put it in the Oven for Baby and Me

* * *

_Opening Song:_ "Flowers in Your Hair" - The Lumineers

* * *

It's my first night on the job and I'm doing a pretty good job of ruining everyone's lives. In my defense, I've never really had a job so these mistakes are pretty justifiable and inevitable. I mean, everyone has these problems, right?

"Aome, did you put the 'out of order' sign on the bathroom door!?"

"Aome, we're missing twenty dollars!"

"Aome, did you restock the cake!?"

"Aome, did you get everyone's orders?"

"Aome, stop eating the chocolate chip cookies!"

I grin sheepishly as I try to hide the cookie. "This is my first one, I swear," I say, but Jensen doesn't look convinced. Jensen is the owner of the ABC Bakery and Leigh's friend, and he's pretty nice when he's not shouting orders at me. Jensen had the employee before me for like five years, so I guess he was reluctant to hire me (trust issues or whatever), but he loves Aunt Lonnie so he went ahead and gave me the job. God bless my crazy, purple-haired fairy aunt.

He whacks the back of my head with his towel. "Get back to work, kiddo."

I stick my tongue out at him because he's only five years older than me, but I get back to work anyway because it'd be really embarrassing if I actually did get fired on the first day. I finish off the rest of my cookie, wipe my hands on the red apron, and return to my new throne aka the cash register. "Oh!" I yelp at my new customer. "Ken! What are you doing here?"

"I heard you were working here, so I decided to come visit," he says, grinning brightly.

"How did you find out?" I ask, raising an eyebrow despite my smile. I just found out last night that I got the job when Leigh called, and I haven't really seen anyone since today's Saturday. I mean, Ken has his way with finding things out, but even this is pretty quick for him.

He blushes and I feel kinda bad. "I went over to visit you, and Miss Lonnie said you were here."

"I didn't know you were coming over."

"I was gonna surprise you."

I blink, then lean forward on the counter with a grin. "Well, you definitely surprised me!" His expression mirrors mine, but I wish I could see behind his thick glasses. I know he needs them because his sight is terrible, but I can barely remember what they look like because he's had them for so long. "So, are you gonna buy anything?" I gesture for him to move closer and cup my mouth so no one can hear. "By the way, your cookies are still the best."

Ken looks like he could die from happiness. "I'll take a piece of strawberry cheesecake for my dad. He's working late tonight, so he'll probably like some dessert." I nod and scurry over to the display to grab his order. "So how's your first day been?"

"Good!" I quickly glance over my shoulder at Jensen to make sure he can't say otherwise; fortunately he's busy with frosting his cupcakes. "I was definitely meant for the bakery business."

He laughs while I wrap up the cheesecake. "If you opened up your own bakery, I'd visit every day."

"Aw, thanks Ken! I mean, you'd probably get fat if you ate that many cookies, but…" Someone (it takes two seconds for me to realize who it is) clears their throat behind me. Squealing, I wheel around and almost smack Jensen in the process. "I'm not eating anything!" I yell defensively.

Jensen smirks, obviously pleased with embarrassing me. "I know. Just makin' sure you're not flirting with the customers. That's against store policies." Ken turns red, but I just roll my eyes. "Anyway, after you're done ringing that up, you're off, kiddo. Just make sure to sign out before you leave — oh, and tell your Aunt Lonnie I'm still waiting for my chocolate cake. She owes me one." He tugs on my ponytail before heading back into the kitchen.

"Yeah, thanks, Boss," I mutter as I attempt to fix my hair. "Anyway…" I finish off Ken's order by putting the cake in a white box and decorating it with a red bow. "Here you go, Ken. That'll be three dollars and fifty cents." Ken hands me a five and tells me to keep it (I only protest once to be polite), and then I'm free for what's left of the day. "So what are you up to this fine Saturday evening?" I ask him as I pull off my apron.

"Oh, uh, I thought maybe we could watch a movie together or something," he says.

"Okay, sure." It's not like I had much else planned. It's kinda rough being the new kid in town since you don't know anyone, but it's not something I'm new to. Besides, I've always had Ken by my side. "Do you wanna see what's playing at the movie theater? Since Aunt Lonnie knows everyone and everyone wants to be her best friend, we can see if I can hook us up with free popcorn, eh?"

I imagine his eyes lighting up behind his glasses. "Alright!" Sometimes Ken makes me feel like I'm the most important person in the world. I love him for so many other reasons, but he kinda fulfills that want to be needed by others, you know? It probably sounds like I'm using him or whatever, and sometimes I think I don't give him as much affection as he gives me, but he really is one of my favorite people in this world.

We head to the movie theater arm in arm. I haven't been here for a full week yet, but Sweet Amoris is pretty small and Aunt Lonnie did a good job of showing me where everything is. Ken, on the other hand, has spent most of his time at home with George, helping unpack and settle in and whatnot. I point out all the small restaurants and stores, but he doesn't seem to be listening. "Hey," I say, tugging on his arm a bit, "are you okay?"

"Huh? Oh yeah, I'm fine."

His expression isn't convincing at all, so I stop and force him to look at me. "No, what's up, Ken? Is something bugging you?"

He takes in a deep breath and hesitates, which worries me. Ken usually wears his heart on his sleeve; he's never been one for hiding things. Not from me, anyway. "My dad's still pretty mad. You know, that I wanted to go to the public school. I told him I really wanted to be with you, but then he started yelling more…"

The smile slips from my face. "Ken. You… didn't just come to Sweet Amoris 'cause I was going there, did you?" I feel like a conceited jerk as soon as the words come out, and the way his shoulders droop don't make me feel any better about myself. "I mean, you know I'm glad you're with me. You're my best friend, Ken." I give his hand a reassuring squeeze. "But maybe that wasn't the answer George wanted to hear."

Ken nods, still looking defeated. "He's been super irritated lately. I don't know if it's me or something else."

George really isn't one of those parents who likes to comfort his kids. I feel like it's because Ken isn't exactly the "ideal son" (whatever that means) and he lost his wife while Ken was still growing up, so he's had trouble raising him. Obviously I think he did a pretty kicking' job because I've never met anyone as thoughtful or nice as Ken, but George doesn't want just thoughtful or nice for his son. Again, I really do love George and he's like an uncle to me, but he's way too hard on his only son.

"He's probably just having a rough time at work," I say. "I bet he'll pick up when he gets that cheesecake, so try not to worry about it too much, okay?"

His smile is so sad and unconvincing that I can't help but hug him. "O-oh! Um, Aome…" His arms gradually wind around my midsection and hug back. "Thanks," he mumbles into my shoulder. "You're the best."

"I know!" I chirp as I pull away. "Hey, hey, c'mon, smile. For real." He grins crookedly when I poke him in the stomach, but I figure it's better than nothing. "Okay, let's go see a movie! I hope they're still playing that movie with Jennifer Lawrence in it; she's magical."

Ken's out of it for the rest of the night. I can tell that whatever's bothering him is really big, or maybe he's just over thinking (which he does a lot). Whatever it is, I hope it goes away soon.

* * *

I am a woman of many talents, so I'm not ashamed to admit that math is not one of them. Still, I'd be less embarrassed if Ms. Ringo cut me some slack and stopped calling on me. (So I showed up to class twenty minutes late; the wind led me astray and who am I to combat Mother Nature?) "Aome, would you like the write the answer on the board?" she asks.

Uh, no I wouldn't, Ms. Sadist, even if I did know the answer. "I don't have it," I say, trying to sink into the seat. Apparently I'm not doing a very good job at it because everyone is still staring at me.

She sighs like I'm the useless child who ripped up her favorite dress. "Very well. What about you, Nathaniel?" Nice-Hands-Golden-Boy gets up and answers the question like it's inscribed in his genetics.

"Aren't you supposed to go easy on the new kid?" I mutter.

"Only when the new kid doesn't show up halfway through class with Starbucks." My head whips to the right to glare at the Ginger Menace, but he just quirks an eyebrow at me. "Careful. You might get whiplash if you don't slow down."

"I'm surprised to see you in class, truant."

He scoffs. "Yeah, well, thanks to that stunt with the registration papers, I'm on red alert with the principal." I'd laugh if it weren't for the fact that I had to play errand girl and waste two hours of my life because of said registration papers. I make a mental to note to stay out of the student council room after school, no matter how cute the president is. "If I get caught skipping another class, I'm suspended."

"I'm surprised you care."

Big Red smirks. "A lot of things about me would surprise you, little girl."

I snort. "Ooo, mysterious." To my surprise, he snickers. Maybe he's not the heartless troublemaker I thought he was. The memories of my first run-in with him, being attacked by his dog, and the messenger scenario tell me otherwise, but I like to give people the benefit of the doubt.

Finally the bell rings and the school day is over. I try to shove everything in my backpack so I can beat the locker rush, but I just manage to spill my pencils and erasers everywhere. "Are you kidding me…" Grumbling irritably, I drop everything to try and gather up the contents of my pencil bag. Just as I reach to pick up my favorite G2 pilot pen, long fingers wrap around it and pull it from my grasp. "Hey, Slick Fingers, hands off—!"

"You owe me, remember?" asks the Notorious Redhead with his demon smirk.

My jaw drops. I hoard those G2 pilot pens like children! "Not with my pen! Also, I totally paid you back by not making you sign them." I stand up and try to snatch it away from him, but he easily holds it above me. He has a good six inches on me. "Seriously? I suck at keep away. Just give me back my pen and I'll—"

"What?" he asks tauntingly. He waves the pen around in the air, completely out of my reach. "You'll do what?"

I press my lips into a thin line. "And I won't… totally ruin your life."

It's a weak (lame, totally pathetic, and without backing up) excuse and he totally catches my bluff. I try to ignore how cute he looks when he laughs. "You've got me shakin' in my boots, little girl. Congratulations." He drops the pen, bouncing it off my head and into my hands.

Then he makes a grand exit, leaving me alone in the room with a concerned Iris. "He's kinda hard to get along with," she says as she helps clean up my mess. "But Castiel's a good guy. I've known him since were kids, and he didn't used to be this bad."

"Ah, yes, the tragic tale of the high school-ruined student," I say, sighing wistfully. "Anyway, thanks for hanging around, Iris."

She smiles that bright Iris smile I've learned to appreciate in my short time here. "Oh, it's no problem! I have some time to kill before gardening club anyway."

"Ken joined that!"

Iris bobs her head enthusiastically. "Yup! He's got a pretty impressive green thumb." I pack up my things and she grabs her backpack, and we both walk out of the classroom together. "He talks about you all the time, by the way. You guys must be really close."

Really? He talks about me all the time…? Well, we are good friends and I was the only one he knew upon coming here, so it shouldn't be that surprising. That's what I try to tell myself anyway.

"I have to return this library book," I say, holding up the novel Nathaniel recommended to me. "So I'll see you later. Say hi to Ken for me, will you?" I grab whatever I need from my locker, wave goodbye to Iris, and head up to the library. I poke my head inside, but I don't see anyone except for the dark-haired girl, whose face is obscured by an open book, at the counter. Since it's so quiet, I tiptoe to the front desk and carefully place the book on top.

"Return?" I yelp at the voice, not expecting the girl behind the book to say anything. She lowers the book onto her lap and raises an eyebrow. "Please don't shout in the library. It's very disruptive."

I look around. "Uh, no one's here."

"Rules are rules," she says simply, taking the novel from me.

"Thanks, uh…" I read the name tag clipped to her black jacket. "… Katrina." She just nods and goes back to her work (and reading). Ah, one of those bookish quiet girls.

I decide not to bother her anymore, and I have to get to work anyway. Glancing at the watch around my wrist, I realize I don't have much time, so I rush out the door, down the stairs, into the hallway— And right into another body.

"OAGH, JESUS." I groan as I hit the ground. The world spins around me, the galaxies paint themselves before me, and the Milky Way gives me the answers to the universe. I'm also ninety percent sure I'm going to die.

There are screams and whispers and shrieks around me, but not from very many people. I can't really tell the ceiling from the floor right now, but I'm pretty sure the hallways are pretty empty. "What the hell…!?" a feminine voice hisses.

"God, she just came out of no where," another one says.

"Amber, are you okay?" asks another.

"Ow… I'm fine. But Fish Bait won't be."

I hope Fish Bait is the principal's name for a new pet and not my new nickname.

Someone grabs me by the front of my shirt, lifting me up onto my feet while my world's still spinning. "Welcome to Sweet Amoris High School, Fish Bait," says the first girl through gritted teeth.

Spoiler alert: it's my new nickname.

* * *

_Closing Song:_ "On Top of the World" - Imagine Dragons

* * *

And there's chapter three! Some more character and relationship building, mostly focusing on Ken and Aome's friendship. Plus an introduction to Amber and Katrina Vargas (Crickett5's character)! Thanks for reading, and I shall try to update soon. :)

**xx**_, _der kapitan


	4. cookie prince

Author's Note:

I thought I should update one last time before Spring Break, which is next week. I'll be on a mission trip to Honduras during that time, so no updates obviously.

Thank you to everyone who reviewed and and read! This chapter is dedicated to **Crickett5**, who's shown so much enthusiasm for this story that it's absolutely contagious. :)

* * *

**Sweet Pea  
**a My Candy Love (© ChinoMiko) fanfiction

Chapter Four  
Cookie Prince

* * *

_Opening Song:_ "Flowers in Your Hair" - The Lumineers

* * *

My back hits the lockers with a loud thud that echoes through the hallway. "Jesus Christ," I groan as the stars dance behind my eyes for a second time.

"Sorry, what was that, Fish Bait?" snarls the She Devil.

"I think she said she hasn't had enough yet," chimes in her succubus cohort.

"No, no," I protest, sick and nauseous from all this spinning and thumping, "I've definitely had enough. I'm definitely good. Definitely." My head still throbs when my eyesight fixes itself, which makes it difficult for me to concentrate on the face in front of the wave of blonde hair. "Geez, are you guys the welcoming committee?" I grumble as I hold onto the lockers for support. "You showed up pretty late; I've been here for like two weeks. Also, you're not doing a very good job."

The girl with black hair and a tube of lipstick snorts. "She's sassy," she says, in a way that makes it hard for me to believe that she actually perceives my sassiness as charming. "_This_ is the girl your brother's been helping out? She's a total lost cause."

I finally manage to steady myself a bit, and I push off the girl who pinned me like an MMA fighter. "Who _are_ you?" I ask. I press a hand to my forehead, which pulses painfully against my skin. Hopefully Aunt Lonnie has given up on her aspirin/ibuprofen strike and has some medicine at home.

"Amber," says blondie. "The one you tried to knock out about two seconds ago?" I recall leaving the library, running down the hallway so that I could get to work, and promptly smacking into another body… Oh. Well, shit. "I didn't think I'd be forced to talk to the unfortunate transfer student, but it looks like you came running to me."

I'm confused, in pain, and I'm definitely going to be late to work. I do not have time for Mean Girls, Sweet Amoris style. "Okay, seriously, that barely answers the question. Who are you? I don't have any idea who you are. Also, I don't really care because I have some place to be, but if you want to Facebook message me or something, look me up under Fish Bait." Blondie and her Army of Two successfully dodge my attempt to escape. "Guys," I whine, growing desperate, "I cannot do this right now."

"Sorry we don't fit into your schedule," she says with a sneer. "But you're gonna have to make some time for us." Once again, she is all up in my grill and I have to wonder if she has any sense of personal space.

"H-hey! Leave her alone!"

Amber pulls away and there stands my knight in shining armor — Ken. Surprisingly (I mean that in the least serious way possible), she just laughs. Even her wordless friend, the one with the eyebrow piercings and pink folder, chuckles in mutual amusement. Mostly I'm just confused and thankful that Ken has saved me from this semi-public lynching. "Oh, it's nice to see that you finally have a backbone, Four Eyes," Amber says, barely able to contain her laughter so that she can speak. "Is she your girlfriend or something?"

"Oh, that's sweet," Girl with Lipstick coos. "You're protecting her honor."

Ken's face starts to resemble a tomato. "No, she's my friend! P-please leave her alone! She hasn't done anything to you."

My heart goes out to Ken, who looks like he's going to faint on the spot. "Thanks, Ken," I say as I stumble over to him, tugging on his arm. He's shaking, I realize. "C'mon, let's get out of here."

Part of me expects Amber and her demon followers to come after us, but the three just laugh and head the other way. I guess we entertained them enough for the afternoon. "It's almost no fun kicking a dog while it's down!" Amber shouts, throwing her hair over her shoulder. "See you later, Fish Bait! Oh, and make sure you bring more money tomorrow, Four Eyes. Five dollars is barely enough to get you a sandwich in this place." That last bit loses me completely.

"What's she talking about?" I ask.

"I have no idea," he replies quickly. I don't believe him. He catches the unconvinced look on my face and tries to usher me out of the building. "Um, you have to get to work, don't you? I mean, I'm sure Jensen won't mind _that_ much if you show up late and explain why but—"

"Ken." I stop him, positioning us so that I'm standing in front of him. Since we're the same height, I can look right into his face; unfortunately, his carnival glasses make it a little more difficult to tell what he's feeling. "Talk to me. I can tell something's bothering you. What was Amber talking about?"

I realize how much it hurts knowing he doesn't want to tell me when I see the distraught expression on his face. Ken's never been one to hide what he's feeling, especially from me, so this is completely new to me. Mostly it just makes me feel incompetent and kinda sorta really sad.

"Sorry, Aome. I don't wanna hide things from you," he finally says, rubbing the back of his neck. He lowers his head so that he's looking at the ground; I've never seen him so defeated before. "And you look like you've been having a lot of fun so I thought it'd ruin things for you."

The way he says that strikes something in me. "What do you mean?"

"I mean…" Ken drops his shoulders and sighs, like it's paining him to talk. "We haven't really been hanging out a lot, you know? W-which is fine because I know you're busy and you have work and you're making new friends, but..."

_You're_ busy, _you_ have work, _you're_ making new friends — that's all I hear. It's true that I haven't been spending as much time with Ken as I normally would, but I've moved to a new place and I'm finally settling down, which means I can actually make more friends. That isn't really an excuse to stop talking to my best friend, though… I hadn't stopped to think about how Ken was doing in a new environment, if he enjoyed it or hated it or was having a hard time. I've always made friends easier than Ken, and that was back when I knew I'd be moving in two years. Back then, even if I had a bunch of acquaintances, Ken was the only one I considered a legitimate friend.

I am an ass.

"Ken," I say, interrupting him in the middle of whatever he's explaining, "let's go get hot chocolate and some cookies at the café."

His mouth hangs open in surprise for a moment. "What?"

I smile as I reach out to hold his hand in mind, giving it a reassuring squeeze. "It's my treat. Besides, you just saved my life from the Abominable Amber and her Devilish Cronies, so you deserve a reward." I wrap my arm around his and pull him close so that we're shoulder to shoulder, like always. "And I want you to tell me about everything, okay? Especially gardening club. I heard that you're a master gardener and you've grown the cure for cancer or something in your backyard."

It takes a couple moments for him to recover, but he walks along with me and eventually squeezes my arm back. "Did Iris tell you that?" he asks, his voice softer than it was earlier. "I helped rehabilitate one of her plants because it was dying… It turns out she was over watering it."

As I listen, I lay my head down on his shoulder. Ken's not a very conventional knight in shining armor, but then again, that description doesn't suit him well in the first place. He's more like a prince (with chocolate cookies!), and I think I prefer princes to knights anyway.

* * *

_Closing Song:_ "On Top of the World" - Imagine Dragons

* * *

Holy jamalama, this chapter is uber short, but I thought dragging it out anymore would be unnecessary. Some more important insight to Ken and Aome's relationship (which is still purely platonic at this point in the game, though you can read the last line any way you wish). I might be able to get out another chapter tomorrow before I leave, but no promises. If I don't, have a wonderful week!

**xx**_, _der kapitan


	5. stupid cupid(s)

Author's Note:

Hello everyone! Sorry it's been so long since I've updated; after getting back from Spring Break, I needed to recover mentally and then I had to tend to academic things, ha ha. Anyway, thank you to everyone reviewed and has supported me thus far, and I hope you enjoy this chapter. :)

* * *

**Sweet Pea  
**a My Candy Love (© ChinoMiko) fanfiction

Chapter Five  
Stupid Cupid(s)

* * *

_Opening Song:_ "Flowers in Your Hair" - The Lumineers

* * *

Despite our talk, I don't see Ken around very much. He's probably busy with gardening club and whatever else George wants him to do around the house, but I finally realize how little we're actually together. I guess it's a good thing, that we're both branching out and making new friends and stuff, but it does make me sad. Even if I kind of suck at showing it sometimes, I really love Ken and I've always depended on him as my rock. I mean, he's really the only constant I've ever had in my life.

Buuut I guess that makes me sound really co-dependent and that sort of thing's not healthy for either of us, so I try not to think about it too much.

I'm late to school (again), when I'm nearly knocked off my feet by Sir Fashion of the Clothes Shop. "Woah!" I yelp, grabbing onto his fancy coat to steady myself.

"Ah, sorry about that, Miss… Oh, Aome." He smiles when he recognizes me, and I manage to convince myself that I'm not actually blushing because of it. "I'm sorry. I didn't mean to run into you like that. I suppose I was distracted."

"No, you're fine. I just wasn't expecting to see you… What _are_ you doing here?" I ask, realizing how strange it is that Leigh's here. I was told he dropped out of school so that he could pursue fashion and open his shop, so there's really no reason for him to be here. Unless he's dropping off Lysander's lunch or something, which would be cute… and understandable considering how forgetful Lysander is.

"I…"

Leigh looks totally distraught. We're not best friends or anything, but Leigh's the first person from Sweet Amoris I met and he sells me cute clothes at a (mostly) decent price. Even if the bell is going to ring in t minus two minutes, I feel compelled to help. "What's wrong?"

He hesitates, which I don't blame him for; he barely knows me. The bell rings and the students race to get to class, which snaps him out of his thoughts. "I need your help," he says.

I raise an eyebrow. "Uh…"

"I can understand why you might say no, but please hear me out," he pleads, his eyes showing some desperation. "I… Do you know my girlfriend? Her name is Rosalya."

As soon as he mentions the name, I nod my head. I've only been here for three weeks, but I can easily point out Rosalya in a hallway full of kids — long silver hair, golden eyes, milky complexion, super cute and saucy clothes. We've talked a little bit, but just when I get lost in her locker area or when I'm trying to hide out in the girl's bathroom during class. "Yeah, I know her. Er, of her more like, I guess… What about her?"

He pulls out and checks his phone before shoving it back into his pocket. "We got into a fight and she isn't responding to my texts or anything."

"Maybe you should try to talk to her? Like, in person?" I suggest.

"Since I'm not a student, I'm not technically allowed inside the school," he says. His eyes dart around, like he's afraid he's going to be attacked by security. I'm kind of in a rush because Mr. Hooper has threatened to give me detention if I'm late again, so I just silently urge him to continue. "But if you could give her a message, just tell her to meet me, maybe I can. I can't go in there, but maybe she can come out here."

"Euh…" That sounds like a lot of work, especially for two people I don't really know, but Leigh looks like a kicked puppy dog and my defenses are low. "Okay, I'll see what I can do. After class — I'm gonna be late." I pat him awkwardly on the shoulder, then run as quickly as I can to homeroom.

Hopefully this work will get me a free outfit or discount or something.

* * *

So I have an hour detention set for after school today, but on the bright side I've already managed to find Rosalya. After some harassment, Mr. Hooper let me go to the bathroom where, sure enough, Rosalya is. She dabs at her eyes with tissue and reapplies her makeup — until she notices she isn't alone anymore. "Oh, it's you," she says, her voice cracking. She clears her throat, embarrassed, and shuffles to put away her makeup. "Aaah, you're Aome, right? The transfer student."

"Yup, that's me," I affirm, trying to smile. Neither of us are doing a very good job of pretending to look happy and comfortable. "Uh, so… I don't really know how to put this without coming off as an ass, but Leigh—"

"He sent you here, didn't he?" she interrupts, not rudely. I note that she looks pretty even when she's on the brink of tears, and I've always firmly believed that there's no such thing as a pretty crier. "To talk to me, I mean."

"Yeah," is all I can say.

Rosalya smiles, but not in a way that suggests she's happy. "We got in a fight. Leigh… Well, Leigh doesn't show me that he loves me. I can't tell if it's because he's shy or if it's because he no longer has feelings for me." She runs her fingers through her hair nervously as she takes in a sharp breath. "But I'm not going out there," she says with determination. "If he wants to make it up to me, he has to show me. And I mean really show me."

What was that quote about a woman scorned…?

"I'm sorry to drag you into this," Rosalya says, reaching out to grab my hands. I yelp, surprised by the contact, but then she grins and I can't help but mirror it (even it's more confused than actually happy). "I know we don't know each other very well, but I feel like I can trust you."

"T-thank you…?" I reply, unsure of what else to say.

"Do you think you could tell Leigh?" she asks.

"What?"

"Tell him that he has to prove himself to me."

This sounds like something out of a Shakespearean play. I have half the heart to tell her to hit the road because I'm already in trouble because of her boyfriend, but the way she's looking at me is just making it… so… difficult to say no. I sigh as I nod my head. "Okay. I'll try to find him after class."

"Great!" Rosalya pulls me into a tight hug, and when she realizes me the corners of her eyes are creased in a smile. "Thank you so much, Aome. You're the best." Part of me wonders how much of that I'll be hearing today.

* * *

I find Leigh sitting on a bench outside, but he's not alone. "What are you doing here, Truant?" I ask Castiel.

The redhead rolls his eyes and flicks the dying embers of his cigarette at me. "Trying to enjoy some peace and quiet. Of course, since you're here now…" He snickers when I narrow my eyes in irritation. "I think the better question is what are _you_ doing out here, little girl? Aren't you enough trouble already?"

"Should you really be the one giving me this talk?"

He shrugs. "Someone should be. Not even a month in and you've already got your first detention? Geez, even I wasn't that progressive."

I'm two seconds away from launching my fist into his face when Leigh clears his throat and reminds me he's there. "Oh, Leigh. I have a message for you," I say as I try to smile apologetically. "Um, Rosalya basically told me that she's not coming out here and that you need to prove yourself."

His lips press into a thin line. "Prove myself…? What does she mean?"

"Some grand gesture? I don't know," I reply hopelessly. I only have five more minutes to get to my next class, and I know for a fact that Ms. Ringo will not hesitate to give me another detention. "Don't you have any kind of idea?"

The blank look on his face is enough of an answer. "I'm sorry," he says. "I'm not really good at this kind of thing."

Before I can help it, my hand meets my forehead. "Jesus Christ…" Castiel, who's been surprisingly quiet through our exchange, suddenly stands up. "Where are you going?" I ask, but he doesn't answer (because he's a Grade A Asshole). "Well, I'll try to figure something out," I say to Leigh. "I'll let you know at lunch time. Maybe you should, uh, take a break and get something to eat or something?"

Leigh nods as he stands up and dusts off his tailcoat. "I need to be checking up on the shop anyway. … Thank you, Aome."

I wave goodbye and watch as he leaves before I go running back into the building. English is one of my easier classes, but it's hard to get through today for obvious reasons. I'm still trying to figure out how to help Leigh and Rosalya when class is over and wandering down the hallway towards Chemistry. Suddenly, Castiel comes out of no where and pulls me back by my arm. "Yeowch! What the heck!?"

"Here," he says as he shoves a folded up piece of paper into my hand.

I blink at it. "What's this?"

"Just take it," he says. Without any further explanation, he walks off towards the courtyard. (Probably to get another smoke in before class.)

He's probably going for the "Ooo I'm mysterious and enigmatic and a bad boy smoker, therefore I am hot," but mostly he's just annoying. I roll my eyes as I continue walking and unfold the paper. When I read what's on it, my eyes widen and something in my chest flutters — even if the words aren't for me. "Damn," I mumble. Castiel might be an obnoxious asshole, but he's got a real way with words. If Rosalya doesn't swoon at this, then she's inhuman.

After Chemistry is World History, then lunch. I run to the courtyard as soon the bell for lunch rings, and sure enough Leigh is sitting on his designated bench. He's not alone, though; standing on either side of him is Lysander and Castiel. "Hey," I say, nodding at all of them.

"Hello, Aome," Leigh says.

"Well, with a little help from the Ginger Menace—"

"What!?"

I wave Castiel off and continue. "— I believe that I have found a solution to your problem! Read this extraordinary piece of art!" I thrust the paper into Leigh's face, forcing him to read it. While he does, I notice Lysander and Castiel exchange a look, with the former starting to smile and the latter snickering. "… You guys are hiding something."

"Do you seriously think I wrote that?" Castiel asks.

My smile falters. "… If I say yes, I know I'm going to sound stupid."

He smirks. "Too late, little girl."

"I wrote it," Lysander says, trying to pacify the situation. "She couldn't have known, Castiel."

"But seriously?" Castiel snorts. "_Me_…?"

"Sorry for giving you the benefit of the doubt," I snap, feeling my face grow red. My bad for assuming that he had a secret romantic in him! Geez. "Anyway, thanks Lysander. Poetry isn't really my forte, so…"

"I don't mind at all," he replies. "In fact, I'm glad I could help. I truly appreciate your, ah, assistance in this matter."

"This is wonderful," Leigh says, handing the poem back to me. "Um, if you could—"

"I'm on it," I say with a sigh, offering a salute. Before any of them can make another comment, I run off to find Rosalya. While trying to slide into the cafeteria, I practically nail and nearly knock over poor Ken in the process. "Woah! Sorry there, Ken! I totally didn't see you there."

He smiles as he readjusts his glasses. "It's fine. I was just about to find you. Can we talk for a little bit?"

My eyes instantly catch Rosalya's silver hair and I know this is my chance. "I'm sorry, Ken, but I really can't right now. Maybe later?" He looks super disappointed, which makes me feel like a complete bitch, but I'm a woman on a mission and nothing can stop me. "Rosalya! Rosalyaaaa!"

She stops in mid-walk to stare at me. It takes her a second to register why a brunette in high-waisted shorts and a scarf is chasing after her, but she recognizes me and grins. "Hey there." Wordlessly, I hand her the poem. As she reads it, a smile crawls across her lips and I swear I can hear the choir of angels singing above me. All the angels fall and shatter on the ground when she starts chortling. "Nice try, but… This has Lysander's work all over it."

My shoulders and my jaw drop. "How the heck could you tell?"

"I've known Lysander for a very long time," she explains, giving the poem back to me. "I can see his writing from miles away. I do appreciate the effort, though. It's nice to see that some people are putting effort into my relationship, even if it isn't my boyfriend." Yeowch. Rosalya - 1, Leigh - 0.

"So… you haven't forgiven him, then," I clarify.

She bobs her head. "Right."

I sigh dramatically. "Alright… I'll relay the message."

"You're the best, Aome."

I appreciated it the first time, but it's starting to lose its charm.

* * *

"I heard the poem didn't work," Lysander says as he sits next to me in Spanish.

"Apparently Rosalya's got a pretty good Lysander radar when it comes to poems," I say, still miffed. I told Leigh about the failure and we tried brainstorming for the rest of lunch period; needless to say, we're still empty-handed. "You wouldn't have any brilliant ideas on how to woo a girl, would you?"

He chuckles. "Unfortunately, no. I've yet to write that manual." I groan and slump forward so that my head hits the desk. "Besides, I'd think you would have better advice than myself." When I sit up and raise an eyebrow at him, he says, "How would _you_ like to be wooed?"

"I dunno," I mumble. It's a lot more difficult to list what you like when you're put on the spot. "I really like chocolate milk and cupcakes. And French writers and concerts and fashion. Running is pretty cool, too…"

"You're just listing your likes," he says. "What we're looking for is wooing."

I stare at him blankly. "There's a difference?"

"Ah, perhaps you should have come to me for advice," he replies teasingly. I scowl and swat at his arm, at which he laughs softly. "Truthfully, I can't give you a solid answer. However, I can tell you that Rosalya really isn't a complicated girl. She enjoys and appreciates simple gestures."

And then it clicks, like the most obvious thing in the world.

He must see the light bulb go off because then he says, "Good luck."

* * *

"Oh!" Rosalya gasps as I shove the bouquet of red, white, and purple flowers in her face. "W-what—"

"Flowers, hand-picked and tied together by Leigh Ainsworth," I explain. I feel a little guilty about lying (since I did all the picking and tying), but the fact that I've been running around all day because of the silver-haired beauty and her emotionally constipated boyfriend eases the guilt.

She presses her lips into a thin line, hesitant, before she takes the flowers and hugs them close to her chest. "Thank you," she says, her voice soft and her eyes focused entire on the bouquet. "Thank you so much, Aome." Cradling the bouquet with one arm, she uses the other to pull me into a tight hug. "I know I made you run around all day, and you don't even know me that well, but… This means so much to me."

"Well, I'm glad," I reply.

"I've got your back from now on," she says when she pulls away. "I have to go see Leigh now…"

"Go ahead," I say, shooing her playfully. Rosalya thanks me one last time, then goes skipping through the double doors. Through the glass, I can see (and hear) her throw her arms around Leigh in a surprise glomp. "Ah, love~"

"Good work, stupid cupid." Castiel pops up from behind, an unlit cigarette hanging from his lips. "You finally got the dysfunctional pair back together. Say, how many calories do you think you burned running back and forth?"

I elbow him, drawing out a surprised "oof!". "Shut up. It was a pain, but it's romantic."

"But mostly annoying."

"Well, you did try to help out, even if it was just playing messenger boy for a short time," I say. Castiel grunts, shrugging one shoulder. "Aw, c'mon. Obviously you cared, otherwise you would have just thrown it away."

"Or 'cause Lysander would've killed me," he says.

I'm not convinced. "No, I think you care. I think it actually hurts you when you see two people who are in love fighting. I bet it tears you apart from the inside out," I tease, poking him in the stomach. He swats my hands away and tries to push me off, but I'm relentless. "C'mon, fees up! You're a total softie on the inside!"

"I am not…! Quit—!"

"Um…"

I step back and retract my hands, like I've been caught in some terrible act. Out of the corner of my eye, I see Castiel fold his arms over his chest protectively. "H-hey Ken," I greet, trying to diffuse the sudden tension. "What's up?"

"I'm sorry, you were busy," he says. His attention shifts to Castiel, who raises an eyebrow; Ken immediately turns his eyes to his feet.

"No, it's fine," I say, walking towards him to wrap an arm around his shoulders. "Sorry for blowing you off during lunch. You've got my attention one hundred percent now!" Ken smiles, but it's not the usual thousand watt smile I'm used to. Something's wrong. "C'mon, I have fifteen minutes before detention." We head towards the doors, but I steal a glance back towards Castiel; he looks amused, and maybe a little irritated.

"Are you sure?" Ken asks, drawing my attention back to him.

I grin. "Of course! I'm all yours!"

I actually see the quiver in his smile. "Okay."

* * *

_Closing Song:_ "On Top of the World" - Imagine Dragons

* * *

If it isn't totally obvious, the chronology in this story is a little off from My Candy Love's canonverse.

Also, I'm really sorry for the long wait. It's been a little hard for me to write lately because I've been focusing on other things, but hopefully it won't take as long for me to get the next chapter up. Thank you readers and especially reviewers! :)

**xx**_, _der kapitan


	6. so long, soldier

Author's Note:

Uhh, I haven't updated this because 1) I'm lazy, 2) for reason writing has gotten difficult for me, and 3) other priorities/desires. I'm on summer break, though, and while I'm looking for a job I thought I also need to keep writing. So I do love this story and I love you guys who've reviewed and supported me. :)

* * *

**Sweet Pea  
**a My Candy Love (© ChinoMiko) fanfiction

Chapter Six  
So Long, Soldier

* * *

_Opening Song:_ "Flowers in Your Hair" - The Lumineers

* * *

Ken and I wander into the courtyard and take a seat on the bench, where Leigh had spent the entire day waiting for news about his relationship. As soon as he sits down, Ken digs into his backpack and pulls out a half-eaten package of chocolate cookies. "Want some?" he asks, extending them to me.

"Sure!" I chirp, taking one. "So, what did you wanna talk about?"

He kicks at the ground, fiddles with the cookies, and pokes his fingers for a good five minutes before he even looks at me. I'd be annoyed if I hadn't blown him off at lunch and the fact that he looks like he's about to break down in tears. "Uh, well, you know how Amber's been bullying me and stuff—"

My jaw drops. "What!?"

His face turns red, probably from embarrassment, and I feel like a jerk. "Y-yeah... I didn't wanna tell you and make you worry, and you've been having a lot of fun. But she's been taking my lunch money, and it really isn't that big of a deal."

"Ken!" I say, standing up. "It's totally a big deal! She's stealing your lunch money, and she probably already has enough. Have you _seen_ the bling she wears? She doesn't need your five bucks to buy a sandwich!" My righteous anger sizzles when Ken shrinks back into the bench, looking more ashamed than anything. I don't wanna call him a pushover, but Ken isn't someone who says no. Especially not to intimidating girls. "Ken, you really need to start sticking up for yourself. You can't let people like Amber walk all over you like that." I try to lower my voice and sit back down next to him, then wrap my arm around his fallen shoulders.

"I know," he mumbles.

"You're too sweet, you know," I say, smiling to try to get him to return it. When he finally does smile, it's watery and unconvincing. "Anyway, what were you saying?"

"Oh, yeah..." He pulls off his glasses and wipes at his eyes with the arm of his sweater. "Um, well, my dad found out." I wince; I can only imagine George's reaction to finding out about his son being bullied. "He was really mad."

I nod understandingly. "Yeah, he should be!"

Ken suddenly stands up, so that his back is facing me, and shakes his head. "No, Aome, he was really mad at _me_."

That genuinely strikes me. "What?" I mean, I know George is a hardass, especially on Ken, but there's no way that he'd blame Ken for being bullied. They definitely don't have the best relationship because George expects more than Ken can give him, but... Putting the blame on the victim is too far, even for him. "What do you mean?"

"He said it was embarrassing to have a son that couldn't stick up for himself." The guilt settles in my stomach when he echoes the same words I used just a minute ago. "He said it shamed him and that he never wants to talk about me to his friends because I'm nothing like their sons. I don't have a backbone and I'm not brave or anything like him." I'm so shocked that I say nothing even when his shoulders start shaking from the sobs. "He said it's the reason why none of the military kids wanna be friends with me, or why they always make fun of me and talk about me to their parents. He said he's shocked that you still wanna hang out with me and that you're probably only doing it because you feel bad for me."

"Ken, that's not true." It comes out much softer and weaker than I want it to. "You know it's not true. You're... You're my best friend."

I start to feel sick when he doesn't say anything. Does he really believe that — that I only pretend to be friends with him out of pity?

"Ken," I plead.

"It's my last day here," he says. "My dad's sending me to military school. He says it'll make me stronger." He doesn't even bother to try to wipe away the tears anymore. "He says it'll turn me into a son he can be proud of. I... I only came today so that I could say bye to you."

My heart drops. There's something at the back of my mind trying to tell me that this isn't real, that what he's saying is just a joke, that the sadness welling up inside of me is nothing. But I know George, and he's wanted to send Ken to military school or boot camp for as long as I can remember; he finally has a legitimate reason to do it, and it's happening. Ken and I spent two years apart, but this is different. It's like he's being ripped out of my life, and there's nothing I can do about it.

"How long are you gonna be gone?" I ask as I start wiping at my eyes. The tears aren't there yet, but I can already feel them smudging my eyeliner and mascara.

"I don't know. He didn't say."

"Ken," I sob.

He finally turn around to face me, and he's the one who holds me. Even if he's the one who was bullied, who was verbally broken down by his father, who's being forced to pick up and leave — _he's_ the one holding _me_. And it's stupid that it's taking all of this for me to realize that Ken is the glue that has kept me together all these years of moving and traveling around. Losing Ken is like losing a part of myself.

"I'm really sorry, Aome," he says, sniffing into my shoulder.

I cling to him like the ground beneath us is going to crumble. "Don't be stupid," I wail, successfully ruining his favorite sweater with my makeup and tears. "Don't apologize! This isn't your fault at all, Ken."

I don't know how long we stay like that, but I'm definitely late for detention when I finally pull away. He apologizes against when I wipe at my face with my hands, and gives me his handkerchief. He puts his glasses back on after clearing up his own tears, then begins digging through his backpack. "I wanted to give you this, too. It's not a big deal or fancy or anything, but..." It's a simple brown teddy bear, wearing a white t-shirt with a heart on it. "It reminded me of you."

I laugh because it hurts to cry anymore. "Oh, Ken." I take the teddybear and hold it tight against my chest. "Thank you. I... We can still talk, right?"

"I won't be able to talk on my cell phone very much," he says sadly, "but we can still write letters." He fumbles around through his pockets before pulling out a crumbled up piece of paper. "This is my address."

"Okay. I'll write you whenever I can." After pocketing the paper, I hold the teddy bear with one arm and wrap the other tightly around Ken in a hug. "Don't forget about me while you're away at military camp, alright? Even if you make all these new buff military friends, we grew up as military brats together."

He chuckles as he rests his head on my shoulder. It's quiet, but I hear him murmur, "I'll never forget you, Aome."

* * *

_Closing Song:_ "On Top of the World" - Imagine Dragons

* * *

Ahhh it's short, but I didn't wanna drag it out too long. So we're saying goodbye to Ken for a while! :(

Again, thank you to everyone who's reviewed and supported this fic. Your patience with me is incredible, haha.

**xx**_, _der kapitan


	7. sabotage

Author's Note:

Here's more of Castiel and the other members of Sweet Amoris. I feel like I haven't really focused on the other characters much, so I'm gonna try to give them some more show time. Once again, thank you to everyone reviewed and supported this story! You're all wonderful. :)

* * *

**Sweet Pea  
**a My Candy Love (© ChinoMiko) fanfiction

Chapter Seven  
Sabotage

* * *

_Opening Song:_ "Flowers in Your Hair" - The Lumineers

* * *

Aunt Lonnie hears the news before I even make it home, because when I open the door I'm greeted with five chocolate cakes, bread pudding, and hot cocoa. She stands in the kitchen with her arms open wide. "Hey hon," she says softly. "How're you doing?" After crying the entire way back, all I want to do is curl up on the couch and gain ten pounds from junk food. Wordlessly, I walk into her embrace and press my forehead against her shoulder. I hiccup as she wraps her arms around me and sways. "Oh, Sweet Pea, I'm so sorry."

I cuddle with Sherlock on the couch for the next four hours, watching reruns of Downton Abbey while shoveling cake into my mouth. I feel pathetic and I know I look at least a hundred times worse, but something in me is just off. _My best friend is going away. I don't know how long he's gonna be gone for_. At least when I was in Paris and he was in Denver I knew for sure that we'd be apart for two years. This is different. This is like having him forcibly pried from my life.

"I didn't appreciate him enough," I tell Sherlock. "Maybe if I paid more attention to him, I would known that Amber was such a..." Just saying the blonde-haired cretin's name leaves a sour taste on my tongue. That bitch has been stealing Ken's lunch money! I know for a fact that she can afford her own damn sandwich, so she was only doing it because she could. God, people like her... "I'm gonna kick her ass when I see her, Sherlock, just you watch."

While I'm still plotting the she-devil's demise, my phone vibrates somewhere from somewhere within my cocoon. I fumble around the crevasses and dips until I find it (hidden under Sherlock's paw). It's a text from Ken; I hesitate for a second before opening it.

_I'll miss you, Aome._

* * *

I'm a woman on a mission the next day at school. My eyes scan the crowd, moving over curious Nathaniel, confused Lysander, chipper Iris, and upbeat Rosalya, and zone in on my target. I push through everyone until I'm right in front of Amber — and I shove her against the lockers. Someone gasps and whispers and shouts sound around me, but I don't care about any of them right now. Right now, it's just me and the repugnant bully.

She's so shocked that she doesn't say anything. She blinks at me like she can't believe I'm even standing here.

"How the hell can you walk around like nothing's wrong!?" I yell, pushing her again.

Something clicks in her eyes when her back hits the lockers for a second time, and this time she pushes back. "What's wrong with you!?" Before Li and Charlotte can jump in on the girl fight, Amber holds up a hand and shoos them away. "Whatever, like I care. I can handle you on my own, Fish Bait. You're just a lost little girl wandering around the hallways; I'll show you who's in charge. Don't think I'll take it easy on you just because you're new."

Amber's someone who likes to hear herself talk, so I don't say anything because there's no point. I grab her by the shirt again, but she's taller and easy pushes me off. I stumble back, losing my balance, and she raises her hand to slap me.

Before she can touch me, Castiel pulls me away by the shoulders, and Lysander firmly pulls back her open hand. "Hey, cool it." My face feels as red as hers turns. "Seriously, I knew you were ballsy, but attacking her in the middle of the hallway?" Castiel whispers into my ear. "Probably not the best idea."

Nathaniel shows up with the principal right behind him, and I know I'm in trouble. "What is going on here!?" she demands, hair on end and glasses slightly askew. I'd laugh if I didn't know how much shit I'm in. "Who started this?" Everyone's eyes reluctantly turn to me, save for Amber, who points a finger at me. I'd snap it in half if it wouldn't get me sued and I wasn't poor. "This is _not_ a good way to get started at a new school, Ms. Sauveterre. Detention today!" I almost roll my eyes because I've already been a frequent flier in the detention room. "One more situation like this and we'll have to consider suspension. Now everyone mind your own business and get to class!" Everyone scatters like Thor the Lightning god has just reigned judgment on puny earth.

"Amber, stop. Just go to class," I hear Nathaniel whisper.

"You're seriously defending _her_!?" she hisses. She glares at me over his shoulder, and I return it in full.

"No, I'm just… Amber, please." She pouts and looks up at him through her eyelashes, trying to get him to relent (so that she can pound me into the ground in front of him?), but he shakes his head. She gives in with a scoff, mutters something about telling her parents, then stalks off with her cronies. She makes sure to catch my eyes before she disappears down the hallway; there's the promise that she won't back down on her face.

Nathaniel pulls me out from under Castiel's hold. The disappointment on his face reminds me too much of the way my dad used to look at me whenever he had to pick me up early from school because of bad behavior. "What were you thinking?" I can tell he's trying to keep his tone under control. "I know Amber isn't the easiest person to get along with, but physical violence? Really?"

"Why are you defending her?" I ask, feeling stupidly betrayed. I know Nathaniel owes no loyalty to me — other than me playing errand girl between him and Castiel — but I still kind of thought of us as friends. Plus, Amber's the devil and no one should want to defend her, and I'm saying that as objectively as possible. "Do you even know what she's been doing? She's been stealing Ken's money and bullying him and now…" Oh God, emotions emotions emotions, I don't need this right now— Nope, nope, nope here are the tears, dammit. "God, she's such a witch!" I sniff and rub my eyes, desperately trying to shove the stupid water drops back into my eye balls.

"What?" Nathaniel sounds legitimately disturbed and shocked. "Are you sure?"

"No, I'm just making it up so I can get a head start on my career as a politician," I snap.

He shakes his head. "If that's really what she's been doing, then we'll have to seriously look into it. We've been talking about a zero-tolerance policy when it comes to bullying, but…" His face scrunches up in thought; it looks like he's internally fighting with himself. "In any event, just leave it to me. Try not to get into anymore trouble, please."

Castiel snorts. "Yeah, like he'll actually be able to get anything done. She's got him wrapped around her finger."

"Some loyalties can't be broken," Lysander says. "Blood is one of them."

"Yeah, maybe now. It was another thing when they were kids and he was pulling out her hair…"

I'm confused and disoriented, which is probably due mostly to my out of whack emotions, and I don't understand anything that they're saying. "What are you guys talking about?" I ask. I hiccup and, embarrassed, I slap my hands over my mouth. God, crying in public is the worst.

Castiel raises an eyebrow at me. "You haven't figured it out yet? Amber's his sister."

My jaw drops. "Seriously?"

"With your ability to gather information, I'd think you'd have discovered that early on," Lysander says, but teasingly. He reaches into his pocket and pulls out a silk handkerchief, and I finally realize how much of a mess my face probably is. "Why don't you clean up?" he suggests with a smile. "There's still a couple minutes left before class starts."

I try to smile back as I take the handkerchief. "Alright. Thanks." I shuffle into the bathroom while pocketing it; I bet there's a special place in hell for people who ruin perfectly good silk with their snot and runny mascara.

* * *

As usual, I'm late on my way to detention. It's not on purpose or anything (I was eating my feelings and Rosalya kept buying me ice cream from the ice cream truck), but I'm sure the principal isn't willing to cut me any slack. I slide down the hallway and race up the stairs, checking my watch in the hopes that one of the hands will just freeze or something. "Shiiit, I'm already deep in it… If I'm late, she's definitely gonna give it to me." I can't even imagine how my dad would react if he found out I was fighting in school...

_WHAM._ My foot awkwardly hits the last step to the top, and I topple to the ground face first. Pain sears up my nose, stars dance in front of my eyes, and I can feel the tears as I attempt to pull myself up. "Jesus Christ..." Well, at least no one saw that.

"Uh, are you okay?"

Just kidding. I hate my life.

"Yup, I'm fine, I'm fine," I reply quickly. I try to wave them away and minimize my humiliation (though, really, what does it matter at this point), but I can still feel them hovering over me. It's sweet, but I'm in too foul a mood to appreciate anything sweet. "Seriously, I'm okay. Please, just let me wallow in my own self-pity and self-deprecation."

"Don't they have hotlines for that kind of thing?"

I raise my head to glare at the person, who I recognize as the girl from the library. What was her name? Katherine? Katalina? Cameron? "No, definitely not for this kinda crazy," I say, jumping to my feet. I readjust my backpack and try to steady myself before rushing for the detention classroom.

"Wait! Your backpack—"

"Sorry, I'm late!" I shout over my shoulder.

Ms. Ringo points the yard stick in my face the second I throw open the door. "You're late," she states, looking as nonplussed as ever. "Again. I've never given a detention to a student for being late to detention, but I can certainly make an exception for you." I just grin because I've already used all my best excuses on her (unsuccessfully), and I swear the woman is like a fortress. "Hmph. Take a seat, Aome, before I change my mind."

I shuffle to the back of the room, where I take my seat next to Castiel. Honestly, I probably should be more embarrassed and ashamed of the fact that I've only been here for a month and I already have a detention buddy, but there's gotta be _something_ impressive about that, right? "What'd you do to get landed in here this fine Thursday afternoon?" I ask.

"They found a bunch of cigarette butts in the bathroom and someone blamed it on me," he grunts.

"You mean they _weren't_ yours?"

He scoffs. "Please, little girl. I'm not so stupid that I'd just leave evidence sitting around in the bathroom. Nathaniel probably said they were mine, and everyone believes him, so..." Castiel flicks a stray piece of paper off his desk, then slumps in his seat. "I don't have to ask you why you're here. Everyone in school knows why." The smirk on his face makes me want to rip his hair out. "Like I said before, I'm impressed, but it was pretty stupid. What were you thinking?"

I've been getting stares and comments all day because of my smackdown with Amber. Like, I don't really regret it and no one hates me for it (save for Amber and her friends, and maybe Nathaniel), but in hindsight it definitely doesn't belong in my collection of genius ideas. "I wasn't," I admit.

When he laughs, I feel mildly insulted. "Well, at least you're honest." I contemplate throwing a book at his head, but that would most definitely get me another detention, and I'd probably get suspended for acts of violence used twice in twenty-four hours.

I blow at a raspberry at him, but he just snickers. "Whatever..." I dig around my backpack in search of my phone to see if Ken's texted me back or if Aunt Lonnie's worried about where I am. (I keep telling her I'm staying late at school for club activities, but basketball season doesn't actually start for another month.) "Wait... What the hell?" My heart starts to race when I can't find my phone. My fingers fumble around through loose mechanical pencils, erasers, and pens, but where the hell is the stupid flip phone...!?

"What's up, Sherlock?"

"I can't find my phone!" I proceed to dump everything in my backpack on to my desk (effectively earning myself a higher place on Ms. Ringo's student shit list), but all that comes out are books, writing utensils, and snacks. "Dammit, dammit... I swear I put it in here after lunch... What the hell?"

"Is there a problem, Aome?" Ms. Ringo asks, but her tone tells me she's not even pretending to care.

"Yes, I can't find—"

"Yes, well save it for after detention. This isn't the Aome Sauveterre show and not everyone cares about what you're doing at every moment." She gets a couple of snickers from everyone who's still awake, including Castiel, but I have to remind myself that murder is definitely a crime and just because my dad's in the military does not mean I would be exempt.

"You're really on a roll today," Castiel comments unnecessarily. I'm too worried about the state of my phone to throw back a witty remark. Instead, I desperately turn to my greatest frenemy in this school with a quivering lip and watery eyes. (P.S. I like to put "can cry on command" on my resumes.) He edges away from me in his seat, looking kind of terrified. I push aside the thought that this is oddly gratifying. "W-what!?"

"Please help," I plead.

"How the hell am I supposed to help you find your lost phone?"

"Call it," I say.

"How is that supposed to help?"

"Maybe it's just lost under all the rubble and in the crevasses of my backpack or something. I dunno, just help! Please?"

Though he's still looking at me like I might be the grim reaper, he reaches into his pocket and pulls out his phone. "Alright, what's your number?" he asks gruffly, and I cheerfully recite the number back to him. We both wait for some kind of response, whether it's on the other end of the line or just my ring tone, but nothing comes. Groaning, I let my head fall against the desk with a loud 'thump.' My parents are going to kill me. "Looks like you're screwed... Or was this just some strategic way to get my number?"

Too lazy to turn my head, I just glare holes into the desk. "Shut up."

* * *

Ken falls back onto his bed with heavy breaths. Moving in everything was a lot more difficult than he'd anticipated, and doing it all on his own just added to his current fatigue. His dad dropped him off and immediately sped off, without asking if he wanted help or offering a hand. Not that Ken expected any different; there was no way his dad, an army general, was going to help his pathetic son move into boot camp.

_"My first day's tomorrow,"_ he thinks, cringing. Running, weights, digging around in the ground, jumping over walls — everything Ken's been horrible at. _"This is gonna be terrible..."_

Wanting and needing a little cheer (the walls are off-white and remind him of a mixture between a hospital and a prison), he pulls out his phone. He sees "**1 New Message - Aome**," and instantly his heart feels lighter. When he opens the message, it crumbles to pieces.

* * *

_Closing Song:_ "On Top of the World" - Imagine Dragons

* * *

I always think about possibly discontinuing this, but the world is so versatile and the characters are so fun, so I end up keeping it. Hopefully I'll ge the next chapter up soon! :)

**xx**_, _der kapitan


	8. pick-me-up

Author's Note:

Aaaahh, thank you all so much for your kind reviews and words of encouragement. :) They really do brighten up my day, and I love hearing from you guys so much.

This chapter focuses more on Aome's friendships with some of the other students at Sweet Amoris.

* * *

**Sweet Pea  
**a My Candy Love (© ChinoMiko) fanfiction

Chapter Eight  
Pick-Me-Up

* * *

_Opening Song:_ "Flowers in Your Hair" - The Lumineers

* * *

If there was a button on phones that delivered physical kicks to the ass, my dad would be abusing it right about now. _"You _lost_ your phone? You've been there for over a month and you've already lost your phone!? Honestly, Aome, I know you can be a little flighty, but I didn't think…" _I can imagine him rubbing his temples, the way he always does when he gets super frustrated with me. _"You haven't spent all the money your mother I gave to you, have you?"_

I prod at the envelope that's short a couple fifties. "Yeah, I have some left," I mumble. The last thing I want is him breathing down my neck about my clothes and pastry spending.

_"Well, ask Lonnie to take you to the mall or something to get a new one."_

"Mmkay."

My dad can be really intense, just 'cause that's how he was raised and, well, he's in the military. I'm an only child, so he expects a lot from me, but it's pretty hard to please a perfectionist, you know? I know he doesn't _mean_ to make me feel bad or inferior or anything, but sometimes I don't know how to talk to him. Right now I'm just glad that there's an ocean separating us so I don't have to face him.

He sighs, breaking the silence. _"I heard about Ken."_

I don't say anything for a bit because I'm kind of tired of crying and complaining. I talked to my mom about it over Skype a couple days ago because my mom's better at consoling people in general and making me feel better. On top of the fact that my dad doesn't really know to be empathetic, he's also best friends with George, and I've basically been badmouthing him since Ken left for boot camp. "Yeah," I say eventually.

_"Do you know how he's doing?"_

"No, I lost my phone, remember?" I don't have Ken's number memorized (come on, be honest — no one actually memorizes numbers anymore) and I don't think he knows I lost my phone. I sent him a letter a couple days ago, but he hasn't responded. "Besides, he's probably busy with boot camp stuff, you know, getting run into the ground and getting buff and stuff." Imagining Ken, small and scrawny and cute little Ken, with a body-builder's muscles almost makes me snort out my tea.

_"Maybe it'll be good for him. Maybe it'll help him build up some confidence."_

It makes sense and he definitely has a point ('cause Ken _does_ let people walk over him), but I don't care about thinking rationally because I'm still really sad that my best friend is gone. "Yeah, okay, Dad," I say, a little rougher than I should have.

He hears it immediately. _"Sweet Pea…"_

"I gotta go. I… have to go wash my shoes, or something."

If he could, he'd probably keep me on the phone and lecture me for the rest of the night. _"Aome, I want to talk to you_—_"_

"Sorry, Aunt Lonnie's calling me, bye." Once I hang up Aunt Lonnie's home phone, I know I'm gonna get it the next time I talk to him, but at this point I don't really care. I'm tired, I'm sad, I'm still pretty pissed off that my cell phone magically disappeared, Amber's a bitch, I hate detention, and my cookies still have another fifteen minutes before they're done. "Ugh," I groan, flipping over to stifle my face in the pillow, "my life sucks."

My plan is to be angsty teenager for the rest of the night, but Aunt Lonnie has her own plans. "C'mon, hon, you can't be holed up in there all night," she says through a small crack between the door and the wall.

"I can try."

She walks in and takes a seat at the edge of my bed before stroking my hair. "You've been in here all day. Aren't you suffocating?"

"I'm trying."

"Oh, hon, please, your dad would have at me if you suffocated yourself under my watch." She tugs on a piece of my hair roughly. "Don't you get any ideas, no matter how badly life as a teenager in high school sucks." Sighing dramatically, I roll over onto my back. A bunch of my old post cards and letters are tacked to the ceiling, thanks to a little help from Aunt Lonnie and other tall(er) people in the neighborhood. "Why don't you invite one of your new friends over? I haven't met any of them yet."

"You know everyone in this town, Aunt Lonnie," I say, "or at least they all know you." And I'm not exaggerating. It's mostly due to her crazy fairy wings and her awesome chocolate fudge cake, but it's also due to the fact that Sweet Amoris is tiny. Everyone knows everyone.

She gives me a pointed look. "You're being a Debbie Downer, Aome."

"Sorry…"

She stands up and claps her hands together, the way teachers clap in their students' faces to wake them up. "Alright, up and at 'em, pouty face. We are getting out of this house, even if it means I have to drag you out by your toes."

"But Aune Lonniieeeee…"

"No buts!" She playfully flicks my nose. "Besides, I know exactly what'll pick you right up!"

* * *

I'm good at being a really mopey teenager, but I'm not gonna lie — shopping is an excellent remedy. "You're the best, Auntie," I coo, clinging to her arm. "Thanks for taking me out. I was probably gonna gain ten pounds from cookies and cake If I stayed."

She pats my hand understandingly. "Don't be silly, Sweet Pea. You'd only gain about five pounds." I almost laugh, but I'm pretty sure she's being serious. "And anyway, it's understandable. It's been a super rough week for you. You just needed to have a little fun." We head over to the ABC Bakery, where Jensen's working the night shift on his own. I almost feel bad for him until I remember the fact that I burnt four of my fingers trying to pull out all of his cookies last time. "Good evening, Jensen!" she sings as we walk in.

He pokes his head out of the kitchen, grins when he sees Aunt Lonnie, then scowls when he sees me attached to her. "Hey, kiddo, since you're here, why don't you put on an apron and help me decorate some cookies?"

I deadpan. "No thanks."

"Hmm, then I can't guarantee I won't spit in your order..." Aunt Lonnie laughs, but I know for a fact that he's serious; Jensen's got a sick sense of humor.

She puts all her bags down at one of the tables in the center of the room. "Why don't you take a seat, Aome?" she says as she pulls out her wallet (which is purple and glittery and I'm pretty sure those are miniature fairy wings attached to it). "I'll go get the orders for us. What do you want?"

"Chamomile tea aaand a chocolate chip muffin, please." As she skips off to make the order (and stops to chat with literally everyone on the way), I drop my bags down next to hers and take a seat. My feet hurt a little from walking around Sweet Amoris, but maybe I shouldn't've decided to wear sandals...

"Hello, Aome!" Rosalya smoothly slides into the seat next to mine, taking me by surprise. "You didn't even say hi when you walked in," she points out, pouting.

I grin sheepishly. "Sorry. I've been kind of out of it."

"Yeah, I know," she says, a hint of teasing in her tone. The grin on her face softens as she leans towards me. "I don't wanna come off as too pushy and I'm sure you've been getting it a lot, but I just want to make sure that you're okay. I know Ken left," (I can't help but wince), "and you're probably still hurting from that. I also know that you got in a physical altercation with Amber and got a detention and a couple lectures, but..."

"Right, so, back to you hoping I'm okay," I intercede, not wanting to replay the episode.

She sits upright. "Oh, yes! I know it's been really rough on you lately, and it's definitely okay to feel sad. Just don't forget that it's also okay to be happy and have fun, okay? Ken seemed like a really bright guy, so he wouldn't want you to mope around."

Honestly, I knew that Ken would be upset — probably more with himself than with me — if he knew how I've acting since he left. And I knew it was dumb to eat my weight in peanut butter cookies and cookie dough ice cream while sobbing and watching stupid sitcoms, but part of me just wanted to be miserable. That sounds super masochistic, but I swear I'm not! I'm just... a teenager, and teenagers need to mope sometimes. (Okay, so maybe being a teenager in itself _is_ masochistic...) I don't plan on being a useless slump for the rest of my high school career, but it's still nice to have someone reach out and show they care.

"Thanks, Rosalya."

She blinks, like she's surprised to hear my gratitude. "Well, of course," she replies. "You helped me out, and I promised you I'd have your back. And I'm never one to go back on my promises." Rosalya nods wisely as she takes a bite of her lemon scone. "So, enough of this dreary talk! What are you doing here? Leigh told me you work here part-time now, but, well, obviously you're not working right now."

"My aunt got sick of me eating all of her baked goods, so she decided to take me shopping."

"Hmm, yes, she is a smart woman."

Aunt Lonnie reappears with two cups of tea in one hand and cupcakes in the other. "Who's a smart woman?"

"You, of course, Lonnie!" says Rosalya, scooting to the side to make room for her.

"Oh, Rosa, stop, you're making me blush." As soon as she puts down the chocolate chip cupcake, I grab it and all but shove it down my throat. While Aunt Lonnie cheerfully sits down, Rosalya does her best to conceal her disgust (and fails). "So the two of you are friends? That's great!"

"Yes," Rosalya yes, due to the fact that I'm otherwise preoccupied. "Aome did me a huge favor a couple weeks ago, so she got my friendship in return. The Good Samaritan gene must run in your family, huh? Lonnie's helped me out so many times," she tells me.

I finally manage to swallow the cupcake, coughing a bit from the effort. Sweets are gonna be the death of me. "Good Samaritan gene? Most people just call me nosy..." The first person who pops into my head is the Ginger Menace. "But thanks, I guess."

Aunt Lonnie wraps an arm around my shoulders, smoldering me. "You're so humble, Aome! Oh, your parents raised you right, didn't they?"

Humble is definitely something most people don't call me, but I feel like aunts and uncles are morally obligated to see qualities in you that don't really exist. I laugh nervously and shift in her tight embrace, trying to get to my tea. "Y-yeah, humble... Raised me right, yup."

I silently plead with Rosalya to save me. She promptly finishes off the rest of her lemon scone (without shoving it down her throat and looking like a total heathen), and wipes her hands cleans. "Well, tomorrow night I'm having a little get together with some girlfriends," she says. "You should join us! It'll be fun, and you can meet some of them. You already know Iris, but... It's always nice to have more friends to back you up, right?"

I briefly think about Amber and her cronies who, despite being the bane of my existence, are some super loyal friends. I've said it before, but Ken's the only real friend I've had. I can talk to people and pretend to get along and whatever, but I don't really know what it's like to have a group of friends.

In the end, I acquiesce with a, "Yeah, I guess you're right."

* * *

My glaring skills are getting shabby; I only last a minute before I have to start blinking because my eyes are watering. "What are you even doing here?" I snap at Castiel, ducking my head so I can rub my burning eyeballs. "Rosalya said this was going to be a _girls'_ get together. I mean, I know you're dying to spend more quality time with me, but stalking me to Rosalya's house is kinda pushing it, don't you think?"

He snorts. "This is Lysander's house. I'm here to hang out with him; don't flatter yourself."

I ignore the last part of his comment and focus on the first. "What!? This is Lysander's house?"

He raises an eyebrow at me like I'm a dumbest person to have stood in his presence. Was I supposed to know this is Lysander's house? Doesn't that come off as mildly stalker-ish? "Leigh's his legal guardian and they live here together, yeah. Rosalya's over most of the time, so this might as well be her house..."

Well. The more you know. (Because, apparently, I know nothing, and my status as a transfer student and military brat does not exempt my ignorance.) "Right, so then the only question left is: where is Rosalya?" We both tap our feet and look around the room but, alas, there are no answers in silence.

Lysander comes into the living room with two glasses of water. He's a little dressed down than when I see him in school, with his jacket off and his cravat gone; it's surprising and kind of refreshing to see him so relaxed. "It appears as though we're out of ice so— Oh! Aome. I didn't know you were here." His heterochromatic eyes shift from Castiel, to me, back to Castiel, then settle on me. "Not that I'm not glad to see you, of course. You're looking much better today."

I can only assume he's alluding to my mental breakdown in the hallway the other day. Realizing that Lysander of all people saw me doing that is super embarrassing, and I sink into the seat. "Yeah, I feel better," I say, my voice small.

He chuckles. "Please, you needn't be ashamed. We're all human, after all, and we're all prone to human emotion." He hands a glass of water to me, then Castiel. "I'll be right back."

"Leave it to Lysander to find an eloquent way to describe your cat fight," Castiel says once his friend disappears into the kitchen. I wave him off and sip at the cold water. "By the way, did you find your phone?"

I shake my head as I pull out the new phone I bought last night: some super fancy schmancy smart phone. Did you know that these phones can access the internet _anywhere_ and they even have GPS and stuff? Technology is incredible. My mom's into the latest gadgets, but I never kept up to date with it. "No, I had to get a new one."

"That sucks," he comments as he pulls out his own phone. "Do you have the same number?"

"Yeah, I just had to disconnect the other one. Why?" My eyes shift to him in a glare as I predict foul play. "You're not giving my number out to random creepers or anything are you? Oh my God — you didn't post it to a dating site or write it on the cafeteria tables, did you!?"

His eyebrows knit together in complete disbelief, only seconds before he bursts out laughing. "_You're_ the evil mastermind, little girl, not me. I didn't come up with any of that stuff — though I wish I did. Oh shit, the look on your face... Phew..."

I'm kind of insulted because those are legit fears (I mean, it's only in every high school movie in existence), so I poke him hard in the arm. To me pleasure, he yelps in pain. "It's not funny! I'm dead serious! My dad's already pissed off that I lost that crappy flip phone, but if I'm flooded with messages and calls from creeps, I'm really gonna have it." I can just imagine him forcing Aunt Lonnie to ship me off to Sao Paolo because of all the trouble I've gotten into. "On top of that," I grumble as I hopelessly press a bunch of things on the touch screen, "I have no idea how to work this."

Castiel rubs the spot where I poked him. "Why did you buy a phone you don't even know how to use?"

I shrug. "It looks cool."

"Yeah, it's cooler if you can actually use it..."

"Shut up."

Rosalya throws open the door, huffing and heaving and with an endless number of bags hanging from her arms. Behind her is a crowd of girls, all of whom I recognize (but can't identity, aside from Iris). "Sorry I'm so late!" she says as she walks in. "I ran into these guys at the market, so I asked them to help pick out treats and stuff. We got a little carried away."

_"Obviously,"_ I think, as I stare at the full two boxes of twinkies.

"Oh, right, introductions! This is Violette," (she points to a cute purple-haired girl in my art class), "Melody," (the nicely dressed girl who's usually in the student council room with Nathaniel), "Katrina" (the library girl who told me stop being obnoxious when no one was in the library), "and Kim" (a dark-skinned girl who sleeps in the back of my math class). "Guys, this is Aome, obviously. ... Castiel, what are you doing here?"

"You're hosting a party at your boyfriend's house?" he asks, avoiding the question.

She dismisses him with a flick of her wrist. "I'm here so often it might as well be my house." She then grins, full and bright, and nudges me with her foot. "Well, let's get started!" Somehow, without the use of either of her hands, she manages to pick me up and push me into the kitchen. When I glance over my shoulder, I spot Castiel still sitting on the couch, snickering and waving goodbye to me. It almost feels like I'm walking the plank.

* * *

_Closing Song:_ "On Top of the World" - Imagine Dragons

* * *

This is getting a little hard to write again, but I guess I just need to find some inspiration somewhere. Whatever the case, thank you all for reading and supporting me!

**xx**_, _der kapitan


	9. kitchen courting

Author's Note:

Sorry it's been such a long time since I've updated! But Episode 17 is out, so I was feeling particularly inspired, haha. Thank you to everyone who's reviewed and supported this fic thus far! :)

* * *

**Sweet Pea  
**a My Candy Love (© ChinoMiko) fanfiction

Chapter Nine  
kitchen courting

* * *

_Opening Song:_ "Flowers in Your Hair" - The Lumineers

* * *

If I had known the sleepover was gonna be at Leigh and Lysander's house, I would have picked out cuter pajamas. Aka not the ones I'm wearing right now aka boxers with different colored pigs printed on them. I can't help but mournfully look over at Rosalya, who's dressed in a super stylish purple and black night gown. Jesus, even when she's _sleeping_ she's fashionable and beautiful. If she wasn't impossible to dislike I'd hate her.

Violette pokes her fingers together shamefully as she ducks her head. "I didn't know we were staying over Lysander's house..." Her face turns beet red. "I don't think my parents would be okay with this... M-maybe I should call them up and let them know?"

"Yeah, but then they'd make you leave," Kim argues. "What they don't know can't hurt 'em."

"I guess so..."

"To be honest, I didn't know either," Melody says with a small laugh. "I've been over to Rosalya's before, though, so I should have known something was up when she gave me the address." She sighs, then shakes her head. "Your aunt won't mind, will she, Aome? I know she's pretty good friends with Leigh, but at the same time..."

I shrug. "Nah, she probably knows. I don't think she really cares, either." Don't get me wrong, Aunt Lonnie is a great guardian and she definitely wants what's best for me, but she's a little more... liberal (?) about this sort of thing. If my _dad_ knew, I'd be ten feet under, but my mom and aunt don't mind. "Besides, I used to have sleepovers with Ken a lot when we were younger. My dad and his dad started saying no when we got older, but I still don't think it's that big of a deal."

Iris, who's opening her fifth twinkie, plops down next to me with a huge grin on her face. I'd be suspicious if it wasn't for the fact that she's Iris and incapable of ulterior motives. "Ken told me a lot about you guys," she says. "He really loves you, you know."

That catches Rosalya's attention immediately. "Ken? The really small boy with the bowl cut and round glasses?" she asks, which sounds insulting even if she doesn't mean it to. I wonder how he'd feel if he heard himself being described like that... "That's right, I saw you together every now and then. I didn't think he _loved_ you, though." The smirk on her face and the way her eyebrows are moving up and down hint at a topic that both confuses me and makes me uncomfortable. "How close were you, again?"

Iris doesn't seem to understand how her topic took a swerve for the worse (for me). "Pretty close!" she answers for me. "I mean, your dads were stationed in a lot of the same places together, right? That's pretty cool! He really talked about you a lot, come to think about it..." She strokes her chin thoughtfully. "I probably learned more about you from him than I have from you." Iris laughs, like that's totally normal and not something that should be of concern, but everyone else raises their eyebrows.

"Oh, that _is_ very close," Rosalya says, something very much like mischief flickering behind her gold eyes.

"Stoooop!" I wail, trying to bring an end to the conversation that inevitably draws closer. "Ken and I are _friends._ He's my best friend." Dramatically, I fall back onto the rug, throwing my limp arms above me. "If anything, he's the only real friend I've ever had. Well, for a long time. I mean, both of us were constantly moving, and it's hard to keep friendships when you're halfway across the world from each other... He's the only one who's always been there."

"Was it a friendship based on convenience?" Katrina asks.

The thought strikes me and makes me feel cold. "No," I answer quickly.

If I'm totally honest with myself, Ken was always more invested in our friendship than I was. It's always been easier for me to talk to people and make new friends than it has for him. Once he told me that when we were separated, when I was in Paris and he was in Denver, he would wait for me to call or text every day after school; usually I was off at the movies or sightseeing with some classmates. But in all of our moves, he was the one who was there for me. Every time we had to start over new, he was the continuity I needed in my life. I'd never thought our friendship was something convenient. "I don't think so," I mumble, more to myself than to the others.

"Ken definitely didn't think so," Iris says. I know she's trying to make me feel better, but I feel even more guilty. "He only had good — well, great, really — things to say about you. He thinks you're the greatest person on the planet."

"So he has a big fat crush on you," Kim says plainly.

I sit up abruptly. "No way!"

Everyone, even Iris, gives me dubious looks. "I didn't see either of you around very much, but even I know that," Katrina says. "He followed you around like a puppy dog. He might as well have had hearts in his eyes every time he saw you turn the corner."

I shake my head adamantly, refusing to believe them. Ken and I are best friends (not out of convenience, but true best friend love!), maybe even like brother and sister, but nothing more than that. I mean... We just love each other a lot! "You guys are definitely exaggerating," I mutter as I reach across the circle to grab a blueberry muffin.

"Maybe you just can't see it because you're used to him looking at you like that," Rosalya says, trying to rationalize the impossible.

I take a too angry bite out of the undeserving muffin. "Nope, you're wrong."

"Blind to love...?"

"You're definitely wrong."

"Well," Kim mutters, "he's not the most _attractive_ guy on campus..."

That brings a huge frown to my face. "Ken doesn't have to be attractive; he's the greatest guy in the world. I mean, yeah, he can be kind of clingy sometimes, but he makes the best chocolate cookies, and he's super giving, and he gives great hugs..." The frown deepens when I realize how much I actually miss Ken, and how I have no idea when or if he's going to come back. Ken is the nicest guy I've ever known, the greatest friend I've ever had, and the only constant in my life. _Not anymore_, an inner voice tells me.

"I think that's very sweet," Violette says, her voice small. "Even if your feelings for each other aren't romantic," (the look on her face tells me that she thinks I'm wrong, though), "your relationship is really incredible. If you're missing him like this, imagine how much he's missing you."

Ken is stuck in some boot camp/military facility, with barely any access to the outside world, on his own with no one he knows. George probably didn't even properly say goodbye to him, he has no friends (well, maybe, but like I said he's really shy and making friends for him is hard), and he's in a rough environment. I have people who are reaching out to me and trying to make me feel better; I have it way better than he does. Why the hell am _I_ moping around like my world is coming to an end? _"Because you're a selfish turd,"_ I tell myself as I pull out my phone, which is still Ken-message-less.

"Have you talked a lot since he left?" Melody asks, placing a reassuring hand on my shoulder.

"No, I texted him a little while ago, but he hasn't responded..." I drop the phone onto the rug. Stupid smart phone. What good are you and your GPS functions and weird apps if I can't keep in contact with the person I want to contact? "He's probably busy, though, doing those weird drills and eating gross cafeteria food. They probably don't let them use their phones except at certain times, too..." It's like I'm trying to make myself feel less pathetic by coming up with excuses, but in my defense it's not really working.

"You should write him letters!" Iris suggests. "I know it's easier to text and stuff nowadays, but I feel like letters are more personal, you know? I sent him one the other day."

Iris sent him a letter already...? How close were they? How did I not know this...? Damn, I'm an asshole friend.

"I send letters to my sister," Katrina says, cutting through my thoughts. "It takes a little longer to talk to each other, but it keeps our bond strong, I think. We only text each other if it's an emergency."

That makes sense. Ken and I used to send letters to each other during those two years we were separated, which is the primary reason why I think we were able to keep our friendship strong (especially since I took forever to text and call him back). "Hm, I guess I'll do that," I say.

Iris claps her hands together excitedly. "We can all be pen pals!"

Kim snorts. "I'm not writing a letter to some kid with a bowl cut..."

"I think she was just talking about me, her, and Ken," I reply dryly.

She blinks, doesn't look the least bit bothered, then grabs the last Capri Sun. "Anyway, I'm tired of all this boy talk."

"We've only been talking about Ken," Rosalya says. I resist the urge to tell her that Ken _is_ a boy, but that probably won't help the case that I'm trying to make about me not loving him as more than a friend. "Besides, I'm not through with you yet, Aome! Rumor has it that you and Castiel are _pretty_ close~!"

All eyes turn to me, once again, in astonishment. I groan and fall back onto the ground, this time in defeat.

* * *

The next morning I wake up with a junk food hangover. _"Definitely shouldn't've had that last Snowball,"_ I wail internally as I crawl around the other girls, desperate to get to the kitchen and drink some water. _"Definitely need to go on a seven mile run today... Definitely gained at least ten pounds last night."_ Wasn't the goal to get out of the apartment so that I _wouldn't_ gorge on unhealthy foods? Though, to be totally honest, I do feel better having talked it out. The girls are weird and crazy in their own ways, but it was nice having them just listen. It's also nice to know that I have people to back me up the next time Amber attempts to ruin my life.

Before I roll out of the room (which apparently belongs to Leigh, bless his heart, who was kicked out onto the couch because of the sleepover), I make sure to check my phone. Nope, no new messages. Ken's probably just tired from all the running and physical drills they're making him do. Still, it'd be nice to hear back from him...

Right. Water.

I tiptoe down the stairs, trying to make as little noise as possible. Leigh's draped across the couch, mouth slightly open and body looking awfully cramped. I make a mental note to get him some of Aunt Lonnie's awesome chocolate cake for his sacrifice.

Once I'm in the kitchen, I grab a glass from the cupboard (after going through all of them) and get myself some water from the fridge. There are only remnants of last night's junk food debauchery, including wrappers, empty boxes, and crumbs. _"Maybe I should help clean up... It looks like a total pig sty, and it was clean before we all got here... Geez, girls are filthy."_

"Damn, you guys are filthy."

"JESUS." It takes everything in me not to scream bloody murder. By suppressing my screams, I had to sacrifice the water, which went all over the tile floor. "What the _hell_!?" I hiss at Castiel, who isn't even bothering to cover up his obnoxious laughing.

"I'm not sure what's funnier," he says through bouts of chortling, "your reaction or your pajamas."

I can feel my cheeks burn as I look down at the stupid pigs on my boxers. I thought they were cute when I bought them, but now they're just taunting me. "Shut up," I snap. I drop the glass into the sink and grab the towel so that I can clean up the new mess I made.

Of course, he doesn't leave me alone to wallow in my self-pity; instead, he leans against the island, as amused as ever. "You're a mess. Are you always this jumpy?"

"No, only in the mornings when I'm in someone else's house," I mutter.

"I dunno, I see you tripping and spilling things everywhere around school. Or is it just when you're around me?"

I roll my eyes. "Please, don't flatter yourself." I wring out the towel in the sink, then move around to pick up the junk food evidence. "Don't you have something better to do? Or is harassing me on your top ten favorite things to do?"

"On a Saturday morning, I'd say it's number one." I throw a glare at him over my shoulder, which he deflects with another laugh. "By the way, you guys were really loud last night. What the hell were you talking about at two in the morning?"

I'm stuck between being mortified and amused. _You._

After Rosalya brought up Castiel last night, the other girls wouldn't let me end it. If Ken was an interesting topic, then Castiel was like a new world wonder. I told them that, if anything, he was just my detention buddy and a kind of frenemy, but they wouldn't have it. Even Violette was asking questions about our "relationship," but I insisted that such a thing does not exist between us. I make a fool out of myself on a daily basis, and he's there to witness it. That's it.

"An unlikely couple?" Katrina had suggested. And then everything blew up, shit hit the fan, and I tried to melt into the room. (Spoiler alert: it didn't work.)

"Nothing," I answer, keeping a poker face.

He raises an eyebrow, unconvinced. "I doubt it. Girls don't giggle and yell like that over nothing. C'mon, you can be honest; I heard my name."

I freeze up and nearly drop the box of trash in the process. "Ahaha, don't flatter yourself, narcissist." My attempts to throw him off are not working...! Mayday, mayday! Red alert! He's onto us, Scotty! "We were talking about what a hottie Nathaniel is and wondering what kind of shampoo he uses. I mean, Kim said he looks stuffy with his tie and khakis, which is kind of true, but he pulls it off, I think." It's not a total lie. We _did_ mention Nathaniel, but while Katrina and Melody both blushed at the mention of his name (ooo, rivalry for the heartthrob president), Rosalya kept bringing Castiel back into the conversation.

Castiel snorts. "As if. Like that guy is interesting enough to keep you guys up talking for that long. You aren't fooling me, little girl."

"Will you stop calling me that!?" Okay, the fact that he has a full five inches on me doesn't help, but I try to maintain the strength of my glower. He flicks my nose, as if to prove a point, and I smack his chest, which is... surprisingly... well built...? Muscular? Well, I mean, I guess he'd got a hot bod' underneath his metal t-shirts and leather jackets, but... _Okay_, now is not the time to admire his body. "You were not mentioned once."

"You're protesting a lot for something that supposedly didn't happen." Castiel places his hands on his hips and leans towards me, further emphasizing his height advantage and decreasing the space between us at once. "What, did you talk about how you've got a massive crush on me?"

"More like how I massively want to crush you," I reply. Don't blush, don't turn pink, don't worry that he's like an inch from your face and he smells good and his eyes are surprisingly pretty and—

"Um."

I actually do scream when Leigh clears his throat, and I push away from Castiel, putting a good amount of space between us. "He was harassing me!" I shout in defense, pointing a finger at the redhead.

While Castiel's jaw drops, Leigh just chuckles. "I just came in to get breakfast started. Aome, why don't you wake up the other girls and Lysander, and ask them what they want? Castiel can help me." He narrows his eyes at Castiel, daring him to object, and he grunts in acquiescence. Leigh turns a smile back to me. "Go on."

My gaze shifts from Castiel to Leigh, the former of which looks suddenly uncomfortable. "O... kay. I'll be back." I slowly make my way up the stairs so that I can try to overhear what they're talking about, but their voices are hushed and I can barely make out what they're saying. All I can tell is that Leigh is doing most of the talking.

"... nice girl. She's not a replacement."

"... I'm not doing anything..."

"... hurt her..."

"Good morning, Aome." Halfway up the stairs (and halfway through eavesdropping), I spot Lysander standing at the top of the stairs. Even his pajamas are Victorian-styled. "Rosalya and the other girls are waking up right now."

"Oh, I was just about to get them and you. Leigh's starting breakfast."

He nods. "I'll go help him. You can get the other girls."

"Okay." I sneak by him and slowly make my way towards the room where the others are. I shouldn't be bothered by whatever Leigh and Castiel were talking about. Like Castiel said, he's not doing anything. I mean, other than annoying me, but that's no different than usual. He's not doing anything, I'm not doing anything, we're not doing anything...

_A replacement_, I can't help but recall. A replacement for who?

* * *

_Closing Song:_ "On Top of the World" - Imagine Dragons

* * *

I'm not really into love triangles, but I really love all the guys in MCL and... I can't help it? XD I'm sorry if you're not a fan of love triangles, either, but I'll try to execute it to the best of my abilities!

**xx**_, _der kapitan


	10. school of hard knocks

Author's Note:

Even if I don't show it with my lack of updates, I really love writing this story because it's so much lighter than my other ones. On another note, I'm contemplating writing another MCL story and I've kind of got a plot stirrin' in my head. I'm thinking to focus on Lysander, but is there another boy you'd rather see?

Thank you **Crickett5 **and **K5Rakitan** for reviewing! You're both absolutely wonderful. :)

* * *

**Sweet Pea  
**a My Candy Love (© ChinoMiko) fanfiction

Chapter Ten  
School of Hard Knocks

* * *

_Opening Song:_ "Flowers in Your Hair" - The Lumineers

* * *

_Hey Ken!_

_ I know this is like the hundredth letter I've sent you, but I haven't heard from you in a while and I really miss you! I also wanna make sure you're okay; you're not letting anyone beat up on you, are you? Nah, I bet you've gotten super tough. Dad tells me that boot camp's pretty extreme. I mean, not that you need _me_ to tell you that, but..._

_ Anyway, like I said, I really miss you! I promise I'm not moping around, though. I'm still working with Jensen, and I'm spending a lot of time with Rosalya and the other girls. Oh! I'm manager for the basketball team now! It's kind of hard work, but all I have to do is hunt down basketballs and act as a servant to holier-than-thou players, but other than that it's not too bad. I'm thinking of joining the track team in spring since soccer is almost over and I didn't get to try out. What do you think?_

_ Mid-terms are coming up already. They're the second week of October, I think, so I have like a week and a half to study. I'm definitely not ready, though you don't need me to tell you that. You've always been the brains of the operation! Maybe if I bribe him, Nathaniel will personally tutor me... Well, I'll let you know how I do, for better or worse. I'm predicting the worst, but maybe I should try to go in optimistic._

_ I know you're busy, but I'd really like to know how you're doing. Unless you're gonna get in trouble, then it's okay! Haha, I miss you._

_Love, Aome_

* * *

No new next messages, no letters, no alerts, nothing. It's been a month and a half since Ken left for boot camp, and aside from the two or three texts he sent me the first day, I haven't heard anything from him. I wanna believe that it's just his supervisors or teachers or something, that he can't write me or call me or text me because there's a limit or something. I wanna believe that he's too busy or too tired, but that's never stopped him before. Ken's always gone above and beyond to keep in contact with me, even when we were just five classrooms away from each other. Besides, he _told_ me he's allowed to keep in contact with friends and family, even if it is restricted.

I hope he's okay. Maybe he got hurt...? Or maybe he got in trouble or something...? But then George would know and he'd definitely tell my dad, and dad would tell me 'cause he knows I'm going bat shit crazy over this.

"Maybe I'm over thinking it. He's in _boot camp_," I mutter to myself, trying to rationalize. "He doesn't have time or energy to think about replying to me every second of the day." You know what? He's probably writing a twenty-page dissertation to send to me. I mean, I've sent him a couple (okay, maybe sixteen doesn't count as "a couple"), but they're pretty short. Ken's more thoughtful than me. Yeah, yeah, that's definitely it.

"Definitely it," I conclude as I slip the seventeenth envelope into the mail box. I quickly recall the contents of the letter, grimacing. "Probably could've used a couple more 'I miss you's..."

"Monologuing to yourself again, little girl?"

Honestly, I've gotten too used to Castiel's around-the-corner snark. Wherever I am making a fool out of myself, he's there; there's no reason for surprise anymore. I swivel around to face him, and as usual he greets me with a condescending little smirk. "I'm actually coming up with my next speech for debate class. I'm arguing in favor of shaving off one of your eyebrows as a sign of your being a douche canoe. It'll be like the scarlet letter."

I try to skip passed him, but his legs are longer and he catches up to me easily. "Damn, you're sassy today. What's got your panties all up in a twist? ... Oh, right, I bet you're lamenting your bra size again. Don't worry, I'm sure you'll grow eventually, even if it's just half a centime—"

"Shut up!" I'm definitely not blushing because I'm definitely not embarrassed because I definitely don't care that I'm on the wrong end of the bra size chart. The fact that Castiel is talking about _my chest_ (or lack thereof) definitely is not a contributing factor, and I only smack him with my backpack because his face pisses me off. And because all violence is justified at seven-thirty in the morning. "God, you're such a pig."

He snorts, and it takes all that I have to not make a comment. "So damn sensitive..." While he rubs the spot on his arm I tried to maul, I think I catch a glimpse of a smile on his face. Or maybe my eyesballs are still trying to adjust to sunlight. C'mon, let's be honest — which one is more likely to be true? (If you picked the second choice, then yes, you are correct!) "By the way, how's that kid who was always following you around? The one that got shipped off?"

Leave it to Castiel to be so cavalier about an obviously sensitive topic. "I dunno."

He quirks an eyebrow. "You don't know? He hasn't flooded your mailbox with declarations of love yet?"

"First of all," I begin, embarking on the conversation I've had with approximately ninety-five percent of the school, "Ken and I are friends. We are super good friends, best friends, and that is all." He snorts again, which warrants a punch to the same spot I hit him before. Castiel grunts and I grin in triumph. "And second of all, he's busy with... boot camp stuff. His supervisors are probably monitoring everything he does. Besides, he can't write letters to me all day." Euck, trying to voice it out loud doesn't do a good job of convincing _me_, let alone Castiel.

"Trouble in paradise?"

"I'm gonna make some trouble for your face if you don't hop off this topic," I remark.

Rather than scaring him, I just make him laugh. As usual. Damn, Aome, you need to work on the delivery of your wit. "I'd take that a lot seriously if it didn't come from someone so small." As if to make his point (and probably just to piss me off), he tussles my hair.

"Oh, Castiel! You're with Aome!" Iris greets us with her trademark grin, though there's something else behind it. I'm not stupid — I know that she (and the other girls) still firmly believe that there's something between me and Agent Red. "I wanted to see if you wanted to walk to history with me," she directs at me. "We're getting our reviews for the mid-term today... I'm a little nervous, but Melody said she'd help me out."

History is definitely not one of my strong points. (Then again, neither is math, science, or anything that isn't english or art.) "Ugh... We should have a study group. I can't even remember the last three classes."

"That's because you slept through them!"

"Alright," Castiel mutters, "I'm outta here. See ya, Iris." He doesn't spare me a glance, though he does bump into me, as he walks into the school. Jerk.

"You said you guys are friends, right?" I ask. "And you've known him since you were kids? Has he always been such an ass, or is this a new development?"

Iris laughs. "No, he was a lot easier to get along with as kids. He's always been a little... rough, though. You really don't need to worry. He likes you!" I scoff and splutter all at once, but she insists and puts a hand on my shoulder. "Really! He won't even look at most other people, and just look at how he and Nathaniel get along! Err, or how they don't get along. It's not really conventional, the way he shows it, but I can tell he likes you."

How refreshing. I'm well-liked by the resident punk. "I guess I'll take your word for it," I mumble grudgingly.

"He's a really good guy." Do I really look that disbelieving? "I swear. Lysander wouldn't hang out with a total creep."

"Well, when you put it that way..."

"Yeah! Just give him a chance." I get the feeling Iris isn't talking up Castiel just because she feels obligated to as his childhood friend. When I narrow my eyes at her suspiciously, she laughs (though it's a little more high-pitched than usual) and throws an arm around my shoulders. "W-well, we should get to class! Mr. Hardins almost gave you a detention for being late the other day..."

Iris sucks at changing the subject and being discrete about it, but I don't push her. Something tells me I don't really wanna the pursue the topic anyway.

* * *

The last week of my life has been spent in this library, and it's getting to the point where I'm contemplating just sleeping in here over night. "You're really dedicated," Katrina observes when I walk in Monday afternoon. Mid-terms start on Wednesday and end Friday, and then we have Fall Break. They think a Monday off will help us recuperate from the bulldozer that is mid-terms week. "I don't think I've ever seen anyone study as much as you."

"My dad'll kill me if I don't bring up my GPA," I admit, taking a seat at my favorite table. "I promised him I'd work harder, and I don't really have the excuse of moving around disrupting my studies anymore..." I sigh, still feeling vastly unprepared despite all the hours I've already put in. Isn't there a scientific study that more students are depressed during finals week than any other week of the year? "He's gonna kick my ass."

"Well, I'm sure you'll do fine," she says, smiling. "Like I said, you've been studying a lot. I bet it'll pay off."

"Right, positive thinking," I murmur, mostly to myself.

"By the way, thanks for letting me borrow your english study guide. It helped out a ton." Katrina's dyslexic, so I guess it's harder for her to read and write, but I wouldn't've known 'cause she spends so much time reading. "I would've asked Melody again, but her notes are kind of hard to read because she writes so small..."

I grin. "Sure, no problem! If you wanna study a little more together before Thursday, I'm free anytime."

"Thanks, I'll let you know. Anyway, I need to get back to work and you need to study, so I'll leave you alone." She pats me on the shoulder lightly before taking her station behind the front desk.

I exhale heavily before breaking out my chemistry book. This one's gonna be the death of me for sure... It's the first one, so I'll get out of the way, but still... "You look as though you've already been defeated." I look up from the formulas and small print to find Lysander standing next to me, wearing a small smile. "Best to go in armed and prepared for the worst, then already defeated, don't you think?"

"Oh sure, it sounds convincing when you say it like _that_."

He chuckles and takes the seat next to me, putting down some of his books next to mine. "In addition to being well-armed, I believe that some accompaniment may help. I'm not one for battles, but war is best fought with more soldiers rather than few."

"... Is this your way of telling me you're screwed for the test, too?"

Lysander rolls his eyes at me, in the teasing and not offensive way that only Lysander can, and cracks open his book. "Come now, Aome, that defeatist attitude will get you no where, I know you're a very ambitious young woman."

"Lysander!" I wail. "You can't just _say_ things like that to me when I'm trying to give in to failure! It makes me actually want to _try_, and it's mildly disgusting."

"Ah, then I've done my job." His face is too pretty for me to even contemplate ripping the smile off his face. "We shouldn't waste anymore time. The library will close eventually, and I promised Castiel I would meet him for dinner... You're free to join us, by the way."

I grimace. "Thanks, but I think I've had my fair share of Castiel for the day."

He makes a face that's hard to read, though to be fair Lysander's _still_ an enigma to me. "Interesting," he says quietly, and I feel like he's talking to himself.

"Uh, my constant harassment by Castiel is interesting?"

"Oh, no. I'm sorry, I shouldn't talk to myself. Rosalya tells me I have a bad habit of zoning others out and forgetting they're there." He shakes his head, then directs his attention back to my notes. "Back to the matter at hand. Why don't we quiz each other on some vocabulary words?"

Ugh.

* * *

I sob dramatically as I splay out across the desk, totally dead on the inside (and probably a little on the outside, too). Melody sighs as she rubs my back, trying to pull me out of my pit of despair. "I'm sure you did fine, Aome. We had so many study sessions, and Katrina told me you spent a lot of time studying in the library. I really think you don't have anything to worry about."

"But I could just _feel_ the failure seeping through my fingers, through the pen and ink, onto the paper!" I all but yell. "Hours wasted! Hours I'll never get back! My life has been significantly shortened because of these damn tests!"

"D-do you think she needs help?" Violette whispers.

"Nothing can save me!"

I yelp when someone tugs me up by the back of my sweater and am absolutely not surprised to see that it's Castiel. "You're right," he says with that stupid smirk, "you're totally beyond saving. But c'mon, I'll get you your fix."

"No way! I'm not going anywhere with _you_— W-what!? Castiel, you asshat, let me go...! Ugh, hold on, hold on, my bag...!" He all but drags me out of my seat, barely giving me enough time to grab my backpack, then continues to manhandle me down the hallway. I'm thirty percent sure the principal is trying to find a reason to give me another detention, seventy-five percent sure that everyone is laughing at me, and ninety-nine point nine percent sure that Amber wants to claw my throat out with her nails. "You are stretching out my sweater!" I hiss, slapping his hands off and away from me when we're outside.

He shrugs as he pulls out his cigarettes. "It looks like it's eating you, anyway. It definitely doesn't do anything to help." His eyes linger on my chest as he quirks an eyebrow.

My jaw drops, and in an act of indignation I snatch the box out of his hands. "Well at least I'm not incinerating my lungs!"

"Ooo, good one. Like I haven't heard that one before." Castiel chortles and easily takes them back, though he tucks them in his back pocket without taking one out. My lungs and breathing capacity take a short moment to rejoice. "C'mon."

I follow him because 1) I have nothing else to do, 2) I'm in desperate need of a pick-me-up after those damn tests, and 3) part of me is kinda curious. "Where are you taking me?" I ask, trying to keep up with him.

"You'll see." Huh, the "ambiguous enigma" thing is a lot less attractive on Castiel than it is on Lysander. Still, I keep trailing along because I really have nothing to lose. We don't say anything as he takes me down the road, but I try to gauge his emotions or reactions or something. Castiel's pretty hard to read too; I'm still trying to decipher if he wants to be friends with me or if just wants to harass me. "Damn, Amber's more discrete when she stares at me."

I scoff. "Please, she eyeballs you like a cheetah looks at their prey."

"Exactly."

"Ugh, you're such a—"

Castiel suddenly takes me by the upper arm and steers me around a corner, towards a small store tucked away in the alley. "We're here." Before I can ask him where we are, he tugs me inside. Instantly I'm greeted by the smell of old and new books.

"What is this place?" I ask, looking around in awe. Books are literally stacked from floor to ceiling, cover tables, litter the stairway that leads up to a platform with even more books. What looks like local art hangs from the walls, and there are small niches with comfortable-looking chairs and couches.

"A bookstore, obviously," he replies.

I scowl. "You're ruining the moment."

"Lysander was telling me about some stupid argument the two of you had." I blink because I've never had an argument with Lysander and I feel like it's impossible to have one with him...? "Something about Shakespeare sucking."

Oh! Oh _that_. Yeah, Shakespeare is definitely _not_ among my favorites, and when Lysander found out I was interrogated. "Eh... I don't know if I'd call that an argument... Maybe just a disagreement that resulted in raised voices. Anyway, what does that have to do with anything?"

"He told me you're into old French books or whatever, and he said you'd like this place." He shrugs, like it's no big deal, but I feel oddly... touched? "Hey, why are you looking at me like that?" I honestly can't describe what I'm feeling right now. Warm? Happy? Confused? Pleased? Everything and all of the above? I mean... It's just such a sweet gesture, but it's Castiel. "L-look, I know finals week kicked your ass, so I'm just trying to make sure you don't think about suicide or something."

"You know, there's nothing wrong with saying, 'I want to make sure you're okay and I want to see you happy.'" I _know_ that he's blushing and it's not the weird lighting in the bookstore, but he turns away quickly with a grunt and mutters something about hurrying up. I can't help the smile that slowly stretches across my face. "And there's definitely nothing wrong with me saying thank you, so thanks, Cas." We both pause, he stares at me, and I am mildly mortified. Slip of tongue? Too familiar? Too wrong? Everything and all of the above. "... tiel," I finish lamely, then run off to a remote corner of the store.

* * *

_Ken,_

_ Finals definitely killed me, but looking back on it, I think I did okay? I mean, I didn't leave any blank answers, and that's definitely a step up for me. All that studying payed off, I think... But I won't hold my breath. Results go up after fall break, so that gives me the weekend to both freak out and forget about it._

_ You remember Castiel, right? I think we're friends? I'm not really sure. I can't tell. It's a little frustrating, but I guess at the same time it's kind of fun. He's surprisingly sweet sometimes, though he could lay off the chest jokes..._

_ I hope we can talk soon, or something. I really miss you._

_Love, Aome_

* * *

_Closing Song:_ "On Top of the World" - Imagine Dragons

* * *

Ken, Cas, Ken, Cas, Ken, Cas — who knows? I sure don't.

**xx**_, _der kapitan


	11. road trip

Author's Note:

Alright, so a Lysander story is currently in the works, though it probably won't be up for a while. I still gotta work out the kinks and whatnot.

Thank you for your reviews and support! For all you silent readers, I would appreciate a comment or two — I appreciate all reviews, regardless of how long they are. :) For those who take time to review, I really, really am thankful!

* * *

**Sweet Pea  
**a My Candy Love (© ChinoMiko) fanfiction

Chapter Eleven  
Road Trip

* * *

_Opening Song:_ "Flowers in Your Hair" - The Lumineers

* * *

Rosalya suggests going to the beach for Fall Break, but it's the middle of October and I've already broken out my winter wardrobe. "It's gonna be freezing, Rosa," I protest, glad to see that everyone else is shaking their heads as well. "Besides, I don't even _know_ where my bikinis are... I stashed 'em away because I didn't think I was gonna see the beach until summer."

Rosalya pouts. "But Leigh made me this new bathing suit, and I really wanted to show it off to you guys..."

"Perhaps another time, with more suitable weather," Lysander says, placing an apologetic hand on her shoulder. "As Aome said, it's quite chilly already, and I doubt we'd last for long on the beach. Why don't we do something else? Like... a road trip, perhaps?" He looks at me. "Aome hasn't been out of Sweet Amoris yet, so I think it would be a nice change of scenery for her. Besides, she can get acquainted with the small neighboring towns."

"That would be fun," I agree. Mostly I'm just desperate to hop on this train to keep Rosalya away from the beach idea. "And road trips are usually pretty fun! I mean, last time I almost threw up because my mom forgot my motion sickness medicine, but..."

"But we'll make sure that Aome has all of our medications, so that the road trip goes without a hitch," Lysander continues, speaking over me. I shoot him a sheepish, apologetic grin; mentioning my light stomach probably isn't very good for our case. "This idea might also be a little more parent-friendly, since most don't want their children coming home with colds..."

Her resolve is weakening, but I can tell that Rosalya _really_ wants to go to the beach. I can't blame her totally; it's been forever since I've seen any body of water, and going for a dip sounds awesome. Just not when it's sixty degrees outside. "Alright," she gives eventually, sighing. "But all the planning is up to you, Lys-Baby. This was your idea."

"Uh, I'll help," I volunteer. Knowing Lysander, he'll end up forgetting the directions/plans or something, and we'll end up stranded in the wilderness. "I mean, I don't really know where anything is, but I can write things down..."

"Sounds good to me!" she chirps. "Now, before we decide who's driving and how we're going to get there, we need to figure out who's going. I'm going, of course, plus Leigh—"

"Doesn't Leigh have to run the shop?" Lysander asks.

"— Aome," she continues, like he didn't say anything, "Lys-Baby, Castiel, Nathaniel—"

"What!?" Castiel hisses, glaring at the Student Council president. "Why the hell is he coming?"

"— Iris, Melody, Violette, Kim, Katrina... I think that's it," she concludes, completely unaware (or maybe just choosing to ignore) the simmering chaos around her. "That's eleven people. Hmm, don't you drive a van, Nathaniel?"

I almost laugh because Nathaniel _would_ be the kind of guy who drives a van. "Yes, but it only seats seven people, plus the driver. And there's no way I'm squeezing in eleven of us," he says, adding the latter as soon as Rosalya opens her mouth. "I'm not risking my license!"

"Castiel has a car," Lysander says. "He can drive."

Castiel's jaw drops. "What!? Don't volunteer my car! I don't even wanna go."

"Sure you do," Rosalya quips, grinning in a way that's impossible to say 'no' to. "Otherwise you would have left a long time ago." Castiel grumbles under his breath, but he doesn't protest. I mentally remind myself to take Stifling Castiel 101 lessons from Rosa. "Great! So three can go with Castiel, and the rest can pile into Nathaniel's van! We'll all pitch in for gas, of course... Oh, Lys-Baby — and Aome — don't forget to find places to eat. Oooh, maybe some sightseeing and shopping, too."

I bite back a sigh. Looks like I'm gonna be doing some homework over Fall Break, after all...

"What time are we leaving? And we're going on Saturday, right?" Iris asks. "My parents'll wanna know."

"Six o'clock, sharp!" Rosalya answers.

"In the morning!?" Kim yelps. "Hell no. I'm out."

A couple people (myself included) grumble in agreement, but Rosalya starts to whine. "Oh, come on, guys! It's supposed to be a road trip! We're supposed to leave super early, have a blast all day long, and come back really late. You guys already nixed my beach plan, so don't ruin this for me, too." No one dares cross Rosalya twice, so the grumbles die immediately. She grins, triumphant. "Let's all meet in front of Aome's apartment!"

I blink. "What? Why my apartment?"

"Because Lonnie is an awesome cook, and she'll definitely have breakfast and snacks ready at six o' clock in the morning," she reasons, like it's the most obvious thing in the world. I almost wanna chastise her for assuming, but it really _is_ the most obvious thing in the world and something Aunt Lonnie would do.

"Huh. Okay."

Rosalya claps her hands together, signaling an end to the meeting. "Great! I will see all of you lovely people Saturday morning, six sharp. Let the greatest Fall Break in history commence!"

* * *

It should be illegal to be up this early. On a Satuday. During a school break. If Rosalya wasn't my best friend here, I'd punch her in the face.

"You better hurry, Sweet Pea!" Aunt Lonnie yells from downstairs. "The others will probably be coming soon!"

"Okiiiiie." I slip on some leggings underneath my dress, grab a hoodie and my leather jacket, then jump into my boots before heading downstairs. Sure enough, Aunt Lonnie, perky as ever despite the abysmal time, runs around the kitchen getting everything ready. Not only is there a basket of breakfast burritos on the table, but also a basket of muffins, cake, and other baked goods. "Wow, you really didn't have to make all of this," I say as I grab a burrito.

"Pshaw. I'm glad I could help out." She swings and twirls and dances, defying the social norms of Saturday mornings. "Besides, I need to open the boutique for Leigh since he's going with you."

I skip to grab the door when the bell rings. "Sorry if I'm a little early," Nathaniel says, arms wrapped around his body. Early mornings in Sweet Amoris are pretty chilly. "I needed to leave early to claim the van, though. Amber was planning on going shopping with her friends." He winces, probably fearing the repercussions, and I let him in with a sympathetic pat on the back.

"Oh, I'm sure she'll manage," I say, trying not to snicker. Even if Nathaniel might get yelled at later, knowing that Amber won't get what she wants (even if it's as something as small as a car to the mall) makes me all giddy inside. "Do you want something to eat? My aunt cooked us a bunch of food."

While he heads into the kitchen, the doorbell rings again. "Good morning!" Rosayla cheers, wrapping her arms around me in a tight hug. Leigh stands right behind her, smiling apologetically.

"G'morning," I reply, muffled by all of her hair in my face. "Where's Lysander?"

"He went to get Castiel, just in case he overslept," she explains. "They'll be here soon. Oooh, do I smell food?"

Soon enough everyone, including Castiel who looks like he wants to kill himself, is here. "You kids have fun now, and be safe, okay?" Aunt Lonnie hands us the baskets as we stand in front of the apartments, so that she can lock off and open the boutique. "If you need anything, just give me a call. See you!" She kisses me on the forehead, then hops into her car and drives off.

"We should probably decide how we're going to split up," Melody suggests as she unwraps a blueberry muffin. "Eight of us in Nathaniel's van and three in Castiel's car, right?" She shyly glances in Nathaniel's direction, but the blond's too busy munching on his burrito to notice. What a dork.

"Leigh and I both have directions and instructions for the trip, so we can split up," Lysander says. "I'll go with Castiel."

"Then Leigh's going with Nathaniel, so I'm coming along too," Rosalya says. A look of realization dawns on her face and makes me feel all kinds of scared. "Aome, you should go with Castiel and Lys-Baby."

Dammit, I knew this was coming! Curse you early morning for dulling my quick reflexes. "Uh, why—"

"Sure, I'm okay with that," Kim says.

"Me, too," Violette agrees.

Everyone bobs their heads in agreement. They are all totally in on this together! "Well, it's decided, then!" Rosalya says, clapping her hands together in finality. Rosalya the Evil Mastermind. "Let's get going, then! Where's our first stop?"

* * *

Lysander makes me take the front because sitting in the back always makes me nauseous, with or without my medicine. "You're sure we're on the right highway, right?" Castiel asks for the tenth time in a span of fifteen minutes. Apparently, the last time he gave Lysander a map, he sent them two hours in the wrong direction.

"Yes, I'm sure," I say, for the tenth time, as unfold the map. "Gateau's another fifteen miles away. We should be there soon, I think..."

"You think?"

I roll my eyes. "I'm sure. What, you don't trust me?" He mutters something under his breath, but otherwise focuses on driving. "What do you think, Lys—" Nope, he's passed out. Maybe I should have insisted on taking the back so I could sleep... Sighing, I re-situate myself in my seat, when I notice something clunky at my feet. "Hm?" It's an album full of CDs, mostly Castiel's hardcore rock metal scream-you-to-tears stuff.

"What are you doing?" he asks as I start to flip through the CDs. "Hey, handle that a little more carefully, will you?"

"We've been driving in silence for the past twenty minutes. I need something to listen to... Your music selection's pretty one-toned. Don't you believe in variety?"

At the (mild) insult towards his music taste, Castiel glares me. "Watch it, little girl. I don't listen to that fruity hipster music you're into."

Rolling my eyes at the threat ('cause what's the worst he could do to me — throw me out the car?), I continue to sort through his CDs. "I do not listen to 'fruity hipster music.' Just 'cause it's more mellow and doesn't have an obnoxious seven minute guitar solo in every song..." Winged Skull, Winged Skull, Winged Skull... Seriously? Can one band even have this many CDs?

Castiel scoffs. "Yeah, I'll believe it when I hear it."

"Is that supposed to be a challenge or something?"

He shrugs. "I'm just asking for some proof, that's all."

I dig around in my purse in search of my iPod, which isn't there, and anyway I don't think he has one of those cables. "Well, maybe not today, but I'll show you a whole new world of music you've never known," I say, confident, as I zip up the album and proceed to search the radio.

"Yeah, good luck," he chortles. "Lysander tried to get me to listen to that stuff and I couldn't handle it after the first ten seconds."

"Hm, no wonder why you only listen to one band," I mutter. "You turn off everything that doesn't start with blaring guitars and drums in the first ten seconds..."

"What?"

"Nothing," I answer innocently.

* * *

Our third stop of the day is in a small town called Tarte. It's cute, with medieval architecture and a lot of green. "We should stop here for lunch," Katrina suggests as she checks her watch. "It's almost one..."

"Just in time, then!" Rosalya says. "Hmm, what should we do for lunch? It'd be kind of romantic to split up into groups or pairs..."

"I don't think there are enough of us to do that the way you're thinking," I protest. Aside from that, I can sense another Castiel-Aome scheme behind her words, and I'm not falling for it this time. "Besides, we've been the road the entire time, which means I've barely been with the rest of you! ... Not that I mind _your_ presence, Lysander, but..."

Lysander chuckles while Castiel seethes. "I agree. We should find a place to eat together. This is actually my first time to Tarte, so I can't make any recommendations, but there's nothing wrong with a little bit of wandering."

"Well, I've been here before," Katrina says. "My sister and I used to come up here a lot for their pies; I guess they're famous for them." I love adventures and discovering new places, but I'm relieved that Katrina knows where she's going. Wandering around in a group (_this_ group, to be specific) can get super rowdy. "There's this little café nearby, and it serves sandwiches and tea and stuff pretty cheap. It's my favorite."

"Then let's go there," Nathaniel says with a smile. Katrina returns his smile with one of her own, though it's shy. Ahhh, I can see the blossoming love triangle between her, Nathaniel, and Melody now... Though that might not be a good thing, seeing as how Katrina and Melody are friends and all. Damn irresistible Student Council president with his beautiful hair and nice hands. "Well, if it's okay with everyone else."

"Sure, sounds good to me," I say. All I want is something to eat 'cause I'm starving. Aunt Lonnie's breakfast burrito only kept me full for two hours, and the muffins didn't quite hit the spot. "Let's do that."

The café is small (probably way to small to properly fit all of us plus their other customers), with small round tables decorated with cute doilies and tulips in vases. The smell of freshly cooked bread and other pastries wafts through the air. We all order our food, then awkwardly arrange a bunch of tables and chairs so that we can sit together. By the time we're done, everyone is glaring at us. "I feel like everywhere I've gone with you guys today, everyone's wanted to either kick us out or kill us," I remark.

"It's because you're all obnoxious," Castiel says, taking the seat between me and Lysander.

"You're the worst one," Nathaniel replies casually. Their eyes meet in an intense glare that nearly shakes the foundations of the café, though it's nothing new. On today alone, if looks could kill, both of them would be twenty feet under. It's definitely amusing, but maybe it wasn't the best idea to invite both of them on a road trip...?

"Right, well," Iris cuts in, "have you heard from Ken lately, Aome?"

Nope. Nothing. Zero. Zilch. Nada. I haven't heard one word from Ken since he left, and I've all but given up on writing him letters. (Okay, okay, I sent one last night, but there was a gap between that one and the last one.) No texts, no phone calls, nothing. I'm not sure if I should be worried or hurt, but I've kind of been drowning in both. Honestly, I kind of agreed to this road trip mostly to distract myself from the fact that my best friend hasn't contacted me in months.

She reads the look on my face before I even notice it's there. "I-I'm sure he's really busy," she says, looking uncomfortable. It's not just the 'I-brought-up-something-sensitive' kind of uncomfortable, though. There's something else. "Oh, my order's ready! I'll be right back!"

We all make small talk and eat lunch, but Iris's behavior is kind of hard to forget. She's definitely hiding something, but that's totally unlike Iris, who's usually really open. When she gets up to grab some napkins, I dismiss myself from the table and quickly follow. "Iris," I say as she grabs some napkins, "what's up?"

Iris yelps, dropping the napkins, and turns to face me with a way too guilty expression. "A-Aome!"

I fold my arms across my chest. Guilting someone as nice as Iris makes me feel like the devil, but I'm adamant. "You're hiding something," I say straight out. "What is it?"

Her eyes dart around, like she's looking for someone to save her, before landing on me. Her shoulders droop a little, as does her resolve. "Okay, but... I don't want you to think that anything's wrong, okay? I mean, there could be a lot of reasons why it's happening, and—"

"Iris," I say. "Come on. What is it?"

She swallows thickly. "It's just that... Well, I've gotten a couple of letters from Ken since he left."

That hits. Iris is sweet and a great friend, but I've known Ken since we were babies. We're best friends, and I haven't gotten _one_ letter from him. He knew Iris for, what, a month, and he's sending her letters? What the _hell_?

Sadness, confusion, anger — all of it swirls inside of me and I try to play it cool, but obviously it's not working because suddenly Iris is hugging me and patting my back. "I'm sure there's a good reason why," she says softly. "I haven't asked, but I definitely can."

I know it's supposed to make me feel better, but it just reminds me that he's talking to her and he's totally ignoring me. Why do I have to find out through another person? Why can't he tell _me_? Why isn't he writing to _me_? Why am I totally in the dark? _What did I do?_

I try to play it off, but my mood is wracked the rest of the road trip, and I can tell it brings down the others, too. I feel bad, since we were all really looking forward to having a fun day together, but I can't get my mind off Ken and his letters to Iris and his lack of communication with me. I keep replaying through my head everything that could have possibly gone wrong, but I can't come up with anything. The rest of the time, all I can think is _what did I do what did I do?_

* * *

It's eleven o'clock at night when Castiel stops in front of my apartment. He dropped Lysander off first, so for the past ten minutes it's just been the two of us. The silence hadn't bothered me like it did earlier; my thoughts made it kind of difficult to acknowledge it.

"Thanks for the ride," I say, unbuckling myself.

Before I can get out, he stops me by placing a hand on my shoulder, pulling me back a bit so that he can look at me. "Hey," he says, and his usual gruff tone is soft. "What's up with you? You've been acting funny since lunch." Everyone noticed, obviously, but no one, not even Rosa, tried to pry it out of me. Leave it to Castiel to defy the odds in the end.

"Nothing," I reply lamely. "I'm just... tired. I guess."

He quirks an eyebrow. "You guess? Don't give me that crap. I know something's bugging you. What is it?"

I don't wanna talk about it — not right now. I don't even know how I feel, and all the emotions and thoughts are so confusing I'll probably break down, and Castiel is the last person I want to see me crying. "Nothing," I insist. "I just woke up early and didn't get much sleep last night. I'm fine."

"I don't believe you."

Irritated, I throw open the car door and shrug off his hand roughly. "It's none of your business," I snap.

Castiel looks genuinely startled, and for a quick second I see a hurt expression. He covers it up quickly, something he's good at doing I'm sure, and scowls. "Whatever."

Immediately, guilt floods me. Even if he has a weird way of showing it, I know Castiel cares, and he was trying to reach out to me. He doesn't know about Ken or anything, so it's not his fault that I'm crabby and angry and sad all at once. Carefully, I touch his arm; he flinches, but he doesn't pull away. "Sorry. I just... I don't wanna talk about it right now. I guess I'm not really okay."

"I figured," he mutters, but he doesn't seem angry anymore.

I try to smile. "I'll figure it out. Maybe. Hopefully." I start to get out of his car, then pause, turning to him. "Thanks, Cas."

He turns his face to the side, hiding it with his red hair so that I can't see his expression. "W-whatever. Just get out."

I laugh, give him a pat on the shoulder, and slide off my seat. "See you later."

"Bye," he grunts, still refusing to look at me. As soon as I close the door, he speeds off.

* * *

_Closing Song:_ "On Top of the World" - Imagine Dragons

* * *

I have a lot of homework I should be doing right now, but naturally I'm procrastinating with this, ahaha.

It would be nice to have some more reviews, just to know what you guys think and to know how I'm doing. :)

**xx**_, _der kapitan


	12. seeing double

Author's Note:

Thank you so much for your kind words and support! I love writing this story because it's a nice break from everything else (especially term papers and final projects, guh), and having you guys behind me is wonderful. :)

* * *

**Sweet Pea  
**a My Candy Love (© ChinoMiko) fanfiction

Chapter Twelve  
Seeing Double

* * *

_Opening Song:_ "Flowers in Your Hair" - The Lumineers

_so now I think that I could  
__love you back  
__and I hope it's not too late 'cause you're so attractive  
__and the way you move  
__I won't close my eyes  
__it takes a man to live  
__it takes a woman to make him compromise_

* * *

I can't believe my eyes. This is totally a dream! There's no _way_ this can be real life.

"Uh-oh," Katrina whispers. "There are tears in her eyes..."

Violette quickly rushes to my side and rubs my back soothingly. "I-it's okay, Aome," she says. "Your grades can't be that bad. You studied really hard and everything!"

My fingers are still clutching the progress report, practically ripping the paper in two. Holy cow, I'm actually shaking...! "They're not bad," I say, my voice low and quivering. "I... They're... They're awesome!" I hold up the report for the world to see — behold the first straight-A report card I have ever received in my life! "I passed! I did better than pass — I aced everything!" Squealing, I make my way around the circle, hugging everyone and jumping and getting way too excited over mid-term grades. "I can't believe it! A's! All of them are A's!"

Rosalya laughs as she puts her hands on her hips. "I don't think I've ever seen you this happy," she teases.

"Things are finally looking up," I sigh, pressing the paper against my chest.

"I don't think I've ever seen grades make someone so happy," Rosalya remarks.

"Hm, no, Nathaniel gets pretty excited when he does well," Katrina says. "Sometimes I can see him grinning at his report card in the corner of the library."

Kim grimaces. "What a dork."

"That does sound like something Nathaniel would do, though," I say. I can just picture him tucked away in a corner, framing his latest gold star report card. Not in a narcissistic way, but in Nathaniel's cute dorky way that he does everything.

The bell rings, signaling the end of lunch. "Oh, we better get to art class," Violette suggests, jumping up and grabbing her huge sketch pad. "Last time we were late, Mrs. Leo almost gave us detention. My parents will definitely ground me if I get one."

I feel a little guilty, mostly because I was the reason why we were late last time (and every time before that). "Sorry, Violette." She blushes, tells me that it's really not that big of a deal (though it totally is — for her) and to take my time. Uggh, Violette is so cute and shy and sweet, I just wanna stick her in my pocket and take her with me everywhere. "Alright, well we're off before I get too sidetracked. See you guys later!"

We hurry down the hall, since the art room is the very last room in the building and it takes a while to get there. "I'm really excited to start our new project," I say. "Self-portraits are usually pretty fun... Besides, I'm sick of drawing that stupid fruit bowl."

Violette giggles. "But yours looks pretty good!"

"You're just saying that to be nice," I say, deadpanning. Our last project required the use of paper maché and tacking on other things onto a canvas to recreate a fruit bowl. You couldn't tell my fruits apart if it weren't for the colors. "Even Mrs. Leo made fun of me, and she always has something nice to say about someone's piece."

"I don't think she was making fun of you..."

An unfamiliar face rounds the corner, looking awfully confused. Sweet Amoris High School is small, obviously, so it's easy to figure out who belongs and who doesn't. I've only been here for a couple of months and I can safely say that I've seen everyone in this school. His eyes move from the paper in his hand to all the doors in the hallway; he's definitely lost. "Hey!" I greet him, catching his attention. "Do you need any help?"

"Oh, yeah," he replies. "I'm looking for the principal's office to do some registration stuff..." He scratches his dark hair and grins sheepishly. "My last school was a lot smaller than this one." Did he go to school in a shoe box or something? "I didn't think I'd have a hard time finding it."

"Sure!" I quip without a second thought. As a fellow transfer student, it's easy to empathize, and getting lost on the first day is always the worst. Though, he sure transferred in at a weird time... It's almost November.

Violette nudges me before whispering, "Class is going to start soon."

I'm sure Mrs. Leo would understand if we were doing a good deed, but then again I don't really want Violette to get grounded because I decided to play Good Samaritan. "Why don't you go ahead and go to class and tell her I'm running late?" I suggest. "I'm helping—" I turn to Stranger With a Cute Scarf and Pretty Eyes, realizing that I have no idea what his name is.

"Armin," he says.

"— I'm helping Armin out," I conclude.

Violette hesitates a bit before smiling and nodding gratefully. "Okay. See you in class, Aome." She waves to me, then looks at Armin as though contemplating whether or not to say anything, then nervously ducks her head and rushes off.

"So, Armin," I say as I lead the way to the principal's office, "where're you from? Oh, wait! Sorry, that's kind of rude of me to ask questions before actually introducing myself."

"Well, that girl called you Aome, so I know your name," he replies, laughing.

"Yeah, but that's not a formal introduction," I protest. I extend my hand to him, which he takes and shakes with an amused grin. _He's cute_ is the first thought that hits my mind. "I'm Aome."

"Nice to, uh, formally meet you, Aome." We share a short laugh before I pull my hand back and continue the tour. "Anyway, I'm from Nice. My dad's job relocated him here pretty out of the blue, so that's why we're transferring at such a weird time."

I blink. "'We'?"

"Ah, yeah, I have a brother. We transferred here together." Armin looks around, searching for the before mentioned brother, but we're the only ones in the hallway now. (Which means that everyone else is in class and I am definitely gonna be late. Oops.) "I have no idea where he is, though... I swear, he was right behind me..."

The principal comes sliding out of the faculty office before I can even say what it is. "Miss Sauveterre!" I wince when she points an accusing finger at me. How can such a sweet-looking old woman be so scary...? On stop of that, she's got an Aome radar or something, 'cause she's constantly on my tail. "You are going to be late to class!"

"S-sorry. I was just showing Armin around. He just transferred and—"

"Oh!" Instantly her glower is replaced with a sweet smile. Talk about mood swings... "You're our new student! I just spoke with your brother."

"Alexy saw you already?" Armin asks, mouth agape. "Geez, I told him to wait for me..." Sighing, he rubs his head, then turns to me with an apologetic grin. "Sorry for wasting your time. I probably should've stuck closer to my brother."

"No, it's no problem!" I answer. "I don't mind helping out a friend in need."

"If you run now, Miss Sauveterre, you might be able to make it to class on time," the principal cuts in.

"Ah, right..." I give in, knowing that there's no way I can get back into this lady's good books. (That is, if I was ever there in the first place.) "Well, hopefully I'll see you around, Armin. Ahh, g'day, Miss." I salute the principal, whose name I realized I do not actually know, then speed down the hallway as quick as I can. I slide into the classroom approximately .5 seconds after the bell rings, narrowly avoiding another detention.

Just another day in the life of Aome Sauveterre.

* * *

I tug on Castiel's arm, dragging him away from his safety net aka the rock metal bands in the music store. "We're here to widen your horizons, remember?" I say, and he makes no effort to conceal his irritation. "Plus, you have ever Winged Skull CD in existence. I really don't think you need to listen to them here."

"I wasn't gonna listen to Winged Skull," he replies through gritted teeth. Still, the shifty look in his eyes makes it hard to really believe.

"You need to be more trusting, Cas," I state firmly, settling him in the indie section next to me. "Do you really think I would lead you astray?" He looks unconvinced and unimpressed. "Okay, okay, lead you astray in terms of music."

"You listen to—"

"Fruity hipster music, yes, yes, I know." Unwilling to listen to his protests anymore, I ignore his mutters and grumbles. I swear, it's like dealing with a five-year-old child who won't eat his veggies. "Alright, how about the Arctic Monkeys? They're pretty good. I like their older stuff a little more, but their newer CD is alright." I pick out one of their older albums and put on the large headphones to find a good song. "Oh! This one's my favorite. Here." I pull them off so that I can press one to my ear, then motion for him to take the other one.

Castiel stares at me like I've got two heads. "Geez, don't they have ear buds or something...?" he mutters as he carefully takes the other half. He leans down so that the headphones don't snap, but angles himself awkwardly so that there's a lot of space between us.

"Can you even hear the song?" I ask.

He looks super uncomfortable for some reason, but he shuffles closer and holds the speaker closer to his ear. "Y-yeah." Castiel swallows thickly and his face turns red. Is being this close to me really that weird?

"Is my perfume too strong or something? I tried vanilla instead of lilac, but I'm not really sure if I like it..."

"What?"

I raise an eyebrow. "You're acting super weird. I'm wondering if my perfume is nauseating your or something."

His face turns even redder, almost blending in with his hair. "Shut up," he snaps. "I'm not acting weird." As if to prove a point, he gets closer to me, so that my back is pressed right up against his chest and his face is near mine.

_Woah, woah, woah, personal space!_ I can feel my cheeks heat up and my heart speed up at the proximity. But would it be weird if I told him this was weird? I mean, we're just friends listening to music. Well, kind of friends. If harassment is a sign of friendship from Castiel, then I'm his best friend. "S-so do you like it?" I ask. I don't even remember what song we're listening to at this point; I'm trying way too hard to play cool.

"It's alright." Why does he sound so calm!? Right, 'cause this _isn't_ weird. Right. Why wouldn't he be calm? "Not great, though."

"I feel like you secretly love it, but you're trying to prove me wrong that there's life outside of Winged Skull, so you're going to keep denying everything." I put the headphones back on the hook and take a step back, putting some space between me and Castiel.

He smirks. "So, is that all you've got to show to me, little girl? Your argument's pretty weak."

I roll my eyes. "As if! That's only the first thing I've got in my arsenal. C'mon, Grumpy." I drag him over to where my heart lies: the indie folk section. "If you don't like anything here, I might cry," I tease. And leave out the part that I'm kind of serious. "Everyone's heard of the Lumineers, so we're gonna skip over them and—"

"Who?"

My jaw drops. Who _is_ this guy, and what rock has he been living under? "You've never heard of the Lumineers? Oh, are you one of those 'I'm too good for the radio' guys?" He doesn't answer, but the look on his face screams yes. I sigh. This one's gonna be a tough one to break. "Alright, c'mere. They only have one CD, but it's genius and super catchy, and the lyrics are cute."

"Sounds like really fruity hipster stuff."

"Oh, it's the best of the fruity hipster stuff."

Just as Castiel leans in to listen (and as I try to steady myself for the close contact), the door opens and in walk two new customers. They're both familiar faces, in that they're totally identical. "Armin!" I greet, waving him over.

"Hey, Aome!" He walks over with the blue-haired boy who I can only presume is his brother (and twin). "This is the girl I was telling you about. Alexy, this is Aome. Aome, this is my brother, Alexy. The one who ran off without me and left me stranded in the hallway."

"Nice to meet you, Aome," Alexy says, shaking my hand with a much tighter grip than his brother's. Now that we're closer, I can see that his eyes are a different color from Armin's blue ones: a light purple. "Thanks for helping my brother out in the wilderness. He's hopeless without a computer or video game." He grins brightly when Armin lightly punches him. "You're listening to the Lumineers? They're pretty good, but not really my type of music. I prefer techno."

I admire the large green headphones hanging around his neck. "Hmm, I'm not really into techno," I admit. Most techno starts to sound the same after a while, with the same dun dun dun _baaaaass_. ... Or maybe that's dubstep. They're practically the same thing. "I guess we'll just have to agree to disagree!"

Alexy laughs, then shifts his attention to Castiel. "Is this your boyfriend?"

Castiel scoffs. "She wishes."

"No," I say at the same time. I throw a glare at him over my shoulder, which he deflects with a smirk. "This is Castiel. I'm just getting him to listen to some new music."

"Nice to meet you!" Alexy says, to which Castiel merely grunts. Not surprising, seeing as how he's as welcoming as a pitbull. Alexy just keeps on smiling though, undeterred. "Well, we stopped by here to get my headphones fixed. The sound's a little off, so hopefully they can do something about it. We should hang out, Aome. Soon, I mean."

I blink, a little surprised at the suddenness, but it's nice to make friends and Alexy seems like a really cool guy. "Yeah, for sure! I'll see you around!" Both he and Armin wave before going to the back of the store, leaving me and Castiel alone at the front. "Hmm, now, to find a really good song..."

"He was really forward," Castiel comments, crossing his arms across his chest. "The blue-haired one."

"What, are you jealous?" I snort.

"You wish."

I hum quietly before landing on my favorite track, then extend the headphones towards him. "I know all the words to these song," I say, "so I don't need—" Rather than taking it fully, he holds one speaker to his ear and leans down so that I can have the other one. I try to stop my racing heart as I take it, leaning into it so that I can hear the song. The lyrics drift into one ear and out the other as I focus on controlling the thunderstorm in my chest.

* * *

_Closing Song:_ "On Top of the World" - Imagine Dragons

* * *

I want to bring Ken back soon, but I wanna work more on Castiel and Aome's relationship before then. Maybe I'll do a special chapter in his point of view...? Then again, that might give things away (if they're not totally obvious by now ha ha).

**xx**_, _der kapitan


	13. discovering love in a department store

Author's Note:

I am so sorry it's taken so long for me to update! I've really gotten into Attack on Titan/SnK, so I've been doing a lot of writing for that... Aaah, but thank you all so much for your kind words and support. I'll try to be a little more consistent in my updating.

* * *

**Sweet Pea  
**a My Candy Love (© ChinoMiko) fanfiction

Chapter Thirteen  
Discovering Love in a Department Store

* * *

_Opening Song:_ "Flowers in Your Hair" - The Lumineers

_so now I think that I could  
__love you back  
__and I hope it's not too late 'cause you're so attractive  
__and the way you move  
__I won't close my eyes  
__it takes a man to live  
__it takes a woman to make him compromise_

* * *

I have this problem where I go shopping and spend all the money in my bank account on clothes that will probably go out of fashion next season. I don't know _why_ I compulsively pick up anything and everything that I consider remotely cute, regardless of its utility, but it's a lot harder to hold myself back when I'm with someone who encourages me. Like, I know I have a problem — I just need someone to monitor me and keep me in check. Someone who is not Alexy.

"Mint green looks really good on you," he insists, holding the skirt against my hips. "Mint green and coral are really in now in general..."

"I have a lot of mint green tops," I say. "I'm not sure if I have anything that would go with this. I don't wanna look like a walking stick of gum."

Alexy just laughs as he pulls back — only to drop the skirt into my arms. "Then we'll have to find something!" He wanders over to a rack of blouses and pulls out a sleeveless white shirt. "I think this would look nice. You wouldn't have to tuck it in or anything; just let it hang over, you know? Besides, you can wear this with anything."

My wallet is screaming no, but my heart is telling me yes!

"Ugh, you are a terrible influence on me," I say as I snatch the blouse off the hanger. "I just got my paycheck yesterday! This skirt alone is work a week's wages." Just as I'm about to toss it onto some pile of clothes, my fingers latch onto it. Guuuh, my body is already attached; there's nothing I can do. "I don't know why I keep agreeing to go shopping with you," I sigh, draping the skirt back over my arm in defeat. "You make me buy everything."

He sticks his tongue out at me playfully before looping his arm through mine. "I don't _make_ you buy everything. I just suggest everything and you go along with it."

"You're very persuasive. It pisses me off."

Alexy grins and lightly taps my head with his. "Aaah, I know you don't mean that! You love me."

I roll my eyes before poking him in the stomach. "I never said I didn't."

It's probably not the best way to handle the situation, but I've doing everything in my power to ignore whatever's happening with Ken. I've stopped sending him letters and texts (okay, okay, I sent one a week ago, but I swear that was the last one), and he hasn't contacted me. At all. Surprise, surprise. Part of me wants to ask Iris if he's still sending her things, but the rest is really scared to hear the answer, even though I'm pretty sure I know what the answer is anyway. She won't bring it up, which is nice of her 'cause I'm admittedly a little bitter, but I can tell she wants to say something.

I've been spending a lot of time with Alexy. It all started with him wandering around school searching for Armin, but when he couldn't be found Alexy dragged me to go shopping with him. I guess you could say it's me trying to fill the void of losing my best friend, but that sounds shallow and kind of depressing. Alexy's a lot of fun and really nice — and he helps keep me distracted, so it's a win-win situation really.

"So are you really not doing the orienteering race?" I ask.

He waves his hand dismissively. "Me and Armin don't have to since we're new. Besides, Armin's allergic to the sun." Alexy shrugs. "Have you asked anyone to be your partner yet?"

I wince at the reminder. "Not yet."

"Isn't the race this weekend?"

"Ehhh..."

There's someone in particular that I wanna ask to be my partner, but I've been reluctant 'cause things have been... weird (?) between us lately. Honestly, it's probably just my imagination and I'm making things up, but I still don't feel as at ease around Castiel as I used to. Like, not in a bad, super uncomfortable way, but in a way that makes me feel like my heart is in my throat.

Alexy pats me on the back roughly. "Need some help asking your boyfriend?"

"He's not my boyfriend." We've had this conversation/argument more times than I can count. Alexy has been witness to my friendship — if I can even really call it that — with the Ginger Menace and apparently has been able to analyze it in the two weeks he's been here. His analysis is composed mostly of "You have a giant crush on him" and "He wants you," so I haven't really taken it seriously. "And this isn't like prom. I just... gotta ask."

"But if it's so simple, why are you hesitating?"

I don't actually have a reply to that because... well, he has a point. If I were asking Lysander or Violette or one of the other girls, I wouldn't be this anxious about it. Maybe I _do_ like Castiel. He's a jerk and he's bitter and he makes rude comments about my chest size and he has the sensitivity of a four-year-old boy and he makes fun of my fruity hipster music, so there's no reason why that should be the case. (Because, a stupid voice in the back of my head tells me, he takes me to cute old bookstores to cheer me up and he looks cute when he blushes and he walks me home and even though he's an ass he shows he cares.)

"Aome?"

"This is your fault," I say accusingly, feeling the warmth in my cheeks.

Alexy raises his eyebrows, but the grin on his face tells me that he's anything but confused. "What's my fault?" he asks innocently.

Groaning, I bury my face in my hands. Stumbling upon the revelation of my crush on Agent Red in the middle of a clothing store is totally _not_ romantic! "We are not talking about this in a department store," I grumble, dragging him towards the shortest check out line.

"Aww, but why not? I'd say a department store is the best place to discuss love!"

I throw a glare at him. "I'm going to kill you."

Alexy hugs me (and he gives the best hugs in the world, so it's really no fair at all) and nuzzles my hair affectionately. "But you love me!"

* * *

I'm not really sure what the whole point of this orienteering race is. Probably to build school spirit or something. I'm not against it or anything; honestly, it sounds kind of fun and I've never done something like this at my other schools. The only problem I really have is that it's November, which means it's cold, which means I'm probably going to be miserable wandering around in the woods finding clues in seven degree weather.

"We have to purchase the uniform, though," Melody says when I voice my lament. "I helped Nathaniel do inventory, so I got to see them. They're pretty thick and they should be able to keep us warm."

I wiggle my eyebrows playfully. "'Helped Nathaniel do inventory,' huh?"

She turns so red it looks like she's sunburnt. "Aome!"

"Sorry, sorry!"

Melody confided in me that she has a thing for Nathaniel, though I guess she also asked him out and he said no. I can imagine them going out — the cute couple that studies together and leads Student Council together. Then again, I'm also ninety percent sure that Katrina has a crush on him, too... He said he was too busy to date, which I can totally see him saying, but damn. Apparently he's got game and he doesn't even know it.

"Have you asked anyone to be your teammate yet?" Rosalya asks.

Of course, Rosalya's been trying to get me and Castiel together since that sleepover at Leigh's house. I'm lucky she and Alexy don't know each other well yet; I shiver at the thought of what they could accomplish together. "No," I answer carefully. "Not yet."

Katrina's eyes widen. "You haven't? You only have a couple of days left, you know... If you can't find anyone, you can team up with me and Nathaniel. I know they said pairs, but I'm sure they wouldn't mind if there were three of us." Melody looks a little crestfallen since Katrina beat her to the punch with Nathaniel.

"But Aome doesn't wanna pair up with just _anyone_," Rosalya cuts in before I can respond. She nudges me with her elbow and grins slyly, like she knows my big secret. (Which, embarrassingly enough, she does.) "You better get on it. Someone else might ask him."

"Ask who?" Violette asks, blinking innocently.

"Castiel, duh," Kim says. The way she says it with no emotion at all and sounding totally bored tells me that this is not news to her. Seriously, though, how many people are in on this Castiel/Aome thing? "I wouldn't worry about someone else asking him. The only one who actually _wants_ to be with him is Amber, and there's no way he'd agree to that."

For some reason, that doesn't make me feel better.

"Well, you have class with him next period, don't you? Why don't you ask him then?" Katrina suggests.

I scratch the back of my neck. "I guess I can't put it off anymore... Saturday's gonna come along and I'm gonna be alone." My shoulders droop at the idea of wandering around the forest on my own, the lonely little girl with no friend or teammate to help her. "Okay. I'll do it."

Next period comes too quickly. I feel like I'm gonna vomit the second I step into the classroom — even though he's nowhere in sight. I am freaking myself out and probably over nothing, like, I'm just asking him to be my _teammate_, not my boyfriend or anything. Besides, I shouldn't be freaking over Castiel. It's Castiel. He's dumb. Not someone to freak out over. Yeah. Definitely not.

"Are you avoiding me?"

_Shit_, I feel like I'm going to die.

"No," I say, as cool as possible. Calm down, Aome, calm down.

Castiel quirks an eyebrow. "Are you sure? I tried to talk to you this morning and you went running into the boys' bathroom. And when I saw you yesterday, you dove behind a trash can." Jesus Christ, does he only remember the embarrassing things I do? "What's up with you?"

"Nothing!" Wow, my voice is really shrill. "Nothing." I clear my throat, try to clear my head, and tell my heart that if it doesn't stop pounding like a war drum I'm going to tear it out and stomp on it. "I've, uh. I've been in a weird mood. I guess. Sorry."

"... Yeah, _weird_," he repeats.

I need to ask him. I need to ask him now or else it's never going to happen because I'm gonna get nervous and scared and run away. Like I've done for the past week. _Geez_, when did I become so embarrassingly hopeless. "So," I start, directing my stare at the scratches on my desk, "the race is this weekend." Yes. Smooth. Good work.

"Yup. Sounds like a pain." He sighs as he sinks into his seat, obviously not enthralled with the idea of wandering around the woods on a weekend. "I tried to get out of it, but the principal threatened to have my suspended."

"Bummer." This would be the opportune moment to slip in a snarky comment about his being a truant, but then I'd get distracted and Lord knows I won't accomplish anything then. "So, uh... Who's your partner?"

"Oh, we need a teammate, right? Shit, I totally forgot..."

Yes! Yes, this is it!

"I'll just ask Lysander."

No! No, this is not it!

I quickly cover up the horror on my face when he suddenly turns to me, wearing his stupid smirk. "Unless _you_ wanted to ask me."

"Well, kind of." His eyes widen, like he wasn't expecting that answer at all, which makes me feel really dumb. Or really pleased. There really isn't a line between the two anymore. "I don't have a teammate yet 'cause I've been putting it off, and all my friends kinda paired off with each other. I'd ask Alexy—"

"That blue-haired kid you've been hanging out with?"

I roll my eyes. "Don't call him 'that blue-haired kid.' You know who he is. Anyway, yes, him. I'd ask him, but he doesn't have to go, and neither does Armin."

"So I'm your last resort, then?" Despite his words, he looks amused. "Before I agree, just answer me one thing."

"What?"

"Am I gonna have to bring my dog leash to make sure you don't get lost?"

He starts laughing the second I glower at him. "No," I snap. "Not like you know how to use it anyway, since Demon's always running loose..."

Castiel snorts. "Sure, little girl. I'll be your teammate."

"Great! Eh, I mean, cool. Yeah, cool." I replay everything that went wrong with the conversation (aka everything) as I turn forward in my seat, trying to ignore his snickering. Why can't I have a crush on someone nice, like Nathaniel or Lysander? Oh, right, 'cause that'd be too easy.

* * *

_Closing Song:_ "On Top of the World" - Imagine Dragons

* * *

Orienteering race next chapter, then some filler fluff, then maybe Ken...? Sooooon.

**xx**_, _der kapitan


	14. highway help

Author's Note:

Thank you to everyone reviewing and supporting this story! :) You're all the sweetest and it means so so much to me.

* * *

**Sweet Pea  
**a My Candy Love (© ChinoMiko) fanfiction

Chapter Fourteen  
Highway Help

* * *

_Opening Song:_ "Flowers in Your Hair" - The Lumineers

_so now I think that I could  
__love you back  
__and I hope it's not too late 'cause you're so attractive  
__and the way you move  
__I won't close my eyes  
__it takes a man to live  
__it takes a woman to make him compromise_

* * *

On the way over to the orienteering site, I sit next to Castiel. Because I forgot my motion sickness medicine and because being in large cars makes me nauseous, I lean against him the entire time. If I weren't trying to hold back my vomit, I'd probably be blushing and sputtering (but I'm definitely still embarrassed). "Hey, are you sure you're okay?" he asks, keeping a hand on my back. "Your face is turning green."

"That's not what girls like to hear," I groan, still hunched over. Someone told me a long time ago that if I stick my head between my legs I don't feel all the bumps and I won't get sick. I discovered that whoever told me that is a liar, but I still try it anyway in the hopes that it'll some day work. (And if I even look out the window I guarantee you I'll be blowing chunks.) "Are we there yet?"

Castiel snorts. "What are you, a kid?"

"Shut up, Mom."

Someone in the behind us shifts forward so that they're leaning on the back of our seat. "Castiel, stop tormenting the poor girl," Lysander says. His soothing voice is like water in the oasis; why couldn't _he_ be the one sitting next to me? "How are you fairing, Aome?"

"I feel like I'm dying."

Lysander chuckles as he rubs my back soothingly. "We'll be there soon. Hang in a little longer." There's a moment of silence as he continues to massage soft circles into my shoulders (he has the hands of a god, I swear) before he taps Castiel. "Why don't you lay down a bit?"

"Where?"

"Well, on Castiel."

Castiel knocks into me when he turns, probably to glare, towards Lysander. "What!?"

"Don't be insensitive." I can imagine him giving the redhead a stern look, which does make me feel a little better. "Aome isn't feeling well, and this could affect her performance for the rest of the day. She just needs to lay down for a little bit."

I shake my head, though I instantly regret it; the motion is enough to make me feel even _more_ sick. "Forget it, I'm fine."

"Aome, I really think—"

Before I can protest or before Lysander can even finish his argument, someone (Castiel) grabs the side of my head and pushes me down. I yelp when my head falls into Castiel's lap, but his hand keeps me down and unable to move. "Cas!" I hiss. "What are you doing!?"

"Quit complainin' and just sleep."

Typically I'd smack him and sit back up, but my stomach is rumbling, I'm kind of swaying, and god dammit his lap is really comfortable. Sighing in submission, I roll so that I'm laying more comfortably, with my knees bent and feet against the side of the bus. Looking up at him from this angle, it's easy to spot the redness of his cheeks, even if his head is turned the other way. "Don't get any weird ideas," I say, trying to grin teasingly.

Castiel scoffs while Lysander sits back (with a noticeable smile). "As if. I'm only doing this so you'll owe me a favor."

"I don't know if your lap is worth a favor."

He smirks while he leans in towards me. "Girls would pay to be in your position. You're incredibly lucky."

"I don't think Amber represents the entire female population." Castiel actually winces at the idea of Amber laying down in his lap, so I can't help but laugh. "Well, if it'll help your ego, which I know is down in the dumps, I appreciate it. Thanks, Cas." The way his face blanks makes me think he's super offended. "Um, Cas…?"

He shakes his head, his usual smug expression back in place. "Whatever, little girl." As I close my eyes, I can feel his fingers in my hair, moving carefully against my scalp and brushing through the strands.

* * *

Standing on solid ground, surrounded by nature, breathing in fresh air — this is the life! "You look like you've just conquered the world," Lysander says from behind me as he steps off the bus.

"I'm just glad I'm finally out of the metal monster." I stretch, extending my arms and standing on the tips of my toes, experiencing as much of the space around me as I can. "Aaah, sweet freedom!" I spin around to face Castiel, who's looking as grumpy as ever. "What's up with you, sourpuss? You're out in nature! Take in the air, admire your surroundings, become one with the trees!"

He's more than mildly irritated as he raises an eyebrow at me. "'Become one with the trees'? Did you smack your head on your way out of the bus or what?"

"Just tracing back to my hippy roots is all."

"We should hurry," Nathaniel says from behind me, standing next to Katrina. "The principal's starting to explain the rules." He pats my shoulder lightly, offering a small smile (probably because he heard me whining on the bus), and heads over to where everyone else is going with his partner.

Castiel shoves his hands into his pockets as we follow. "You two are close."

"Me and Nathaniel?" He grunts a 'yes.' "Well, yeah. We're friends."

"Just friends?"

I deadpan. Is he seriously interrogating me about the relationship between me and _Nathaniel _of all people? I mean, the Student Council president is smokin' hot and I'm still trying to figure out what kind of shampoo he uses because damn his hair is great, but even the idea of the two of us having a romantic relationship is laughable. We're definitely friends and he's great, but we'd probably drive each other crazy if we dated. "Yes," I say. "Just friends."

"Hm."

I skip forward and move around him a bit so that I can see his face; his poker face is pretty impressive. "Hm?" I repeat. "What's 'hm'?"

Castiel tries to swat me away, to no avail. "Nothing. I was just asking a question."

"Why?"

I yelp when he flicks my forehead. "You're annoying me." He tries to lose me by merging into the crowd of students, but snatching onto his arm isn't too hard. "Hey! Let go of me!"

"We're partners and teammates today, remember?" I say, sticking my tongue out at him. "You can't lose me even if you want to."

"Oh, I definitely want to," he grumbles.

Before I can ask him why he's being such a sourpuss (well, more than usual) today, the principal clears her throat and everyone hushes up. "Everyone is here, right?" she asks. "Now, listen closely to the directions. The race will take place in three steps. During each step, you will have to find the checkpoint. Someone will be waiting there and will ask you a question. If you are able to answer it they will let you pass to the next step of the race. The first step is based on orientation. You will have to move around the forest. Here is a map to help you find the right path."

Mr. Faraize hands out the maps to everyone, passing them inwards. "Hm." I tilt ours to the side, admiring the fancy artwork and bright marks. "Looks complicated."

Castiel instantly plucks it out of my hand, holding it out of my grasp. "Give me the map. I don't trust you. You'll definitely lose it."

I'm more than a little offended, but he's taller than me and I figure there's no point in exerting energy in a fruitless effort. "Whatever, whatever," I sigh.

The principal dismisses us and everyone breaks up into their teams to wander into the forest. Castiel and I head in after saying bye and good luck to Lysander and the others; it doesn't take long for us to lose sight and sound of other classmates. The forest didn't look too big from the outside, but it's kind of intimidating now that we're surrounded by all these trees. When we come to a fork, I nudge Castiel. "So, we should probably pull out that map."

Silence.

I turn to face him, only to find a huge frown marred into his face. "Uh, Castiel?"

He doesn't respond, which makes me more than a little suspicious. Sure, enough, he confirms my fear when he says, "I lost the map."

My mouth drops and I resist the urge to punch him. "Are you serious!?"

"Yeah, I'm serious!" he answers, scowling at me like this is _my_ fault. "What, like it's never happened to you!?"

"God, why are you offended?" I snap. "_You're_ the one who lost the map after telling me you couldn't trust me with it!" Sighing and feeling my headache returning with full force, I rub my temples and turn away from him. "Okay, well, freaking out isn't gonna do us any good… Maybe we'll find our way out of here with your 'great' sense of direction."

Castiel folds his arms across his chest, leering at me. "Are you mocking me?"

"Absolutely." I lean against one of the nearby trees and blow a lock of hair out of my face. This is going to be a very long, very tiring day. Honestly, I probably would have been better off with Lysander — and he gets lost on his way to school. "Aaah, we're probably not gonna win…"

For some reason, _that_ gets him going. "No way," he says, wrapping his fingers around my arm. "I'm not losing that prissy president." At this point, I'm not sure if he's talking about the race or something else entirely, but apparently he spends a lot of his days thinking about Nathaniel. "We don't need the map. I'll find the path."

Those are the most ominous words I have ever heard.

* * *

I give him a lot of crap on a daily basis in return for his harassment of me, but I have to admit that Castiel's got a pretty impressive internal compass. We manage to make it to the second step, run into Mr. Faraize, hunt down Amber, get the stamp, and get halfway through the second step all in a short time. Which is awesome, considering the fact that we started off on such a terrible foot. "I'll give you your props where they're due," I say cheerfully, admiring the stamp on the back of my hand. "You should be a professional mountain man or something."

Castiel snorts, but I see his grin. "Yeah, and you should be a professional cage fighter. I didn't know someone so small could be so vicious."

"I didn't actually attack her," I say. I press the paper against the bark of a tree and shade it with the pencil, getting an imprint of the bark. "And she was asking for it. It's one thing to call me frumpy in my uniform—"

"She kind of has a point."

I pause to glare at him, even if all I get is a teasing smirk. As usual. "— but it's another to steal the stamp and hide it from everyone else. Besides, Mr. Faraize looks like he's constantly on the brink of a mental break down because of the principal, and Amber's a jerk for taking advantage of that." After dropping the pencil and paper into my bag, I check that off the list. "So that's the print… Now we just need an inhabitant of the forest. Ugh, wasn't that the one everyone was complaining about?"

"I'm sure we'll find something. Besides, Mr. Faraize's the one who hid it, so it can't be that hard to find."

"Fair point."

We head down one of the paths, towards the large rock. Everyone is running back and forth, trying to find everything so that they can finish the second step and move on to the third. "Anyway, back to Amber…"

"I don't wanna talk about Amber," I say. "I swear, you're seventy-five percent of the reason why she torments me."

"And what's the other twenty-five percent?"

"I don't know, it probably has something to do with me pushing her against the lockers the first month of school."

Castiel chuckles like it's some kind of fond memory. "I hold to my professional cage fighter comment."

"Well, I guess there are worse things I could be…" There's a little dark spot between the large rock at the tree trunk. I crouch down next to it, reach into the shadow, and pull out a plastic rabbit. "Err, do you think this is what he meant by an 'inhabitant of the forest'?"

"Probably. C'mon, let's go find him."

Mr. Faraize is standing in the same place we found him earlier. "Ah, do you need a hint?" he asks.

"Nope, we found everything!" I hand him all the items in the scavenger hunt, which he counts off with a pleased expression. "What next?"

"Well, it's all here, so now I'll take you to the final step. Follow me." While everyone else is still running around trying to find the plastic rabbits (I feel kind of bad for not telling Violette or Melody since they were freaking out about it earlier), he takes us further into the forest. We come to a completely new path. "Here we are. Good luck with the final step! I need to go back in case the others need help."

When I wave goodbye to him, another familiar face walks up to us. "Hey, Aome."

I blink in surprise before greeting him with a smile. "Oh, hey Dajan! What are you doing here?"

"Helping out with the orienteering race, of course," he answers, lightly bumping his hip against mine. Since I'm manager for the basketball team, I obviously spend a lot of time with the team, especially now that it's basketball season. Dajan actually doesn't go to Sweet Amoris, but he's part of the after school program for the team…? I don't know, I don't really get it, but he's nice enough (when he's not ordering me around to get him water). "I'm the one in charge of helping you with the third step."

"How nice of you," Castiel comments. Looking over at him, I notice a dubious, super judging expression on his face. "So what're we supposed to do?"

Dajan's either oblivious to Castiel's glare, is aware of it and chooses to ignore it, or I'm just too attuned to it. "Well," he explains, cheerful as ever, "there are letters carved into trees or stones, and you need to find all of them. They spell a word. Once you figure out that word, you'll be able to leave the forest and get your prize!"

"That's all?" I ask.

"That's all!"

"Alright, thanks," Castiel says, without actually looking at Dajan. "C'mon." He takes my hand and drags me down the path, barely giving me enough time to wave goodbye. "Are you friends with everyone in this town?" he mutters.

"I'm not friends with Amber or her friends, so no," I answer.

"Tch. Whatever. Just try to keep up and let's get this over with. I'm sick of all these freakin' trees."

* * *

"Paris!"

Dajan blinks, probably I basically shouted it in his ear, but gives me a thumb's up in the end. "That's right! Wow, you guys finished at the exact same time, basically…"

Castiel curses. "That priss got here before we did?" Earlier, aka five minutes ago, we ran into Nathaniel and Katrina, who apparently were the only ones to get passed the second step aside from us. Naturally, Castiel refused to sit down and give in, so we literally sprinted all the way here to try and beat them — and apparently failed.

"You're done, so you just have to take the path straight ahead to get out of the forest," Dajan says.

"Cool," I say. "Thanks!"

Before I can get further down the path, Castiel grabs me (again). "Wait. If we take the same path we'll never pass Nathaniel. We can take a shortcut and still beat him."

"Geez, why do you wanna beat him so bad?" I ask, trying to tug my hand out of his grasp. "Let's just go straight and get out of here. You were saying that you're sick of all these trees. What if we get lost?"

"We won't get lost." I have half the heart to remind him of what happened to us the last time I entrusted directions to him, but he's already dragging me down some obscure path. "No way I'm gonna lose to him," he grumbles to himself. It's entertaining, but this little rivalry thing he has going on with Nathaniel is getting out of hand.

Minutes pass by, and all we see are trees, trees, trees, and more trees. No exit, just trees. So much for his awesome inner compass.

"Castiel," I whine. "It's getting dark. Maybe we should head back and use the other road. Obviously this one isn't—"

"If we head back now, we'll lose more time. We might as well just keep going."

"You know, Nathaniel and Katrina have probably already crossed the finish line."

As pissed off as he is (I can tell by how hard he squeezes my hand), he doesn't say anything. We travel around the woods for a while longer, until light no longer makes it through the trees and we're basically wandering around in the dark. Castiel finally comes to a stop, his shoulders slumping in defeat. "Maybe this wasn't a good idea," he finally admits.

I slap my free hand to my forehead. "Well, what are we gonna do now?"

"We should just stop here. It won't help anyone if we keep running around in circles." He drops my hand (which makes me sad for stupid reasons) to fold his arms across his chest. "If we wait here, they'll probably find us."

"Maybe you're right, but…" I shiver involuntarily. The November air is already really crisp in the forest, up in the mountains, but now that it's dark it's worse. The track suit has been warm and comfortable today, but now I can definitely feel the cold.

"Here." He shrugs off his jacket and throws it at my face, leaving him in just his green muscle shirt. "Put it on," he says, looking away. "You're gonna catch a cold if you don't take care of yourself."

"But what about you?" I pull the jacket off my head, feeling the warmth between my fingers. I can feel myself blushing just at the thought of putting it on. "You're just wearing that and it's cold and—"

"Just do it." He grabs it, but not to put it back on; he drapes it around my shoulders and pulls it close around my neck. "C'mon, sit down. You're probably tired." Castiel eases me onto the ground, against a tree trunk. "This trip into the forest was dumb, we had to walk around all day, I'm exhausted…" And then he sets his head in my lap.

"C-Castiel…!"

"Shut up. I'm resting." He rolls over so that he's looking up at me, and suddenly my heart feels like it's going to leap out of my chest. "Besides, you owe me a favor, remember?"

"Yeah, I guess…" I should be protesting and smacking him and pushing his head off my knees, but there's something about the way he's looking at me and this position that I'm not totally against. (Oh, right, like the fact that I have a crush on him.) Swallowing thickly and doing my best to stay cool, I lean back against the tree trunk and close my eyes. "Okay."

"Okay?" I open eyes, but his hand is near my face with his fingers ghosting the ends of my hair. "That's not like you. I'd expect you to put up more of a fight."

"I'm exhausted, too," I say lamely.

He snickers loudly, which barely covers up my gasp when he moves his touch to my jawline. "True. You were five seconds away from vomiting all over the bus this morning." I can't even register what he's saying because all I can think about is how intimately he's touching me and how my heart is pounding against my rib cage and how this is supposed to uncomfortable but I'm so _happy_. "Are you feeling better now?" His voice is soft, lacking its usual mocking tone.

"Yeah, it's just being in a car that makes me sick." Focus on my words, focus on my words, not his fingers or his eyes or the fact that his head in my lap. Focus focus focus focus. "But I'm fine now." Yeah. Totally fine. Just peachy.

"Then why's your face so red?" The way he asks it sounds like _exactly_ why my face is so red, which only embarrasses me even more. There's no way I can win in this situation.

"It's not," is all I can say.

The sound that comes out of his mouth isn't a snicker or something teasing, but a soft laugh. "You aren't fooling me, Aome." I wait for him to elaborate (or maybe just because I can't talk and I'm so shocked that he used my actual name), but he just closes his eyes. There's a serene expression on his face as he falls asleep, with his head still in my lap, one hand on his chest, and the other laying on the ground.

He's totally doing this on purpose. He _knows_ I have a giant crush on him and he's embarrassing me on purpose.

But… I don't think he's trying to really take advantage of me or anything. He'd not rebuffing me like he does Amber. (Then again, she could just be a special case.) Maybe… I don't know. Maybe he likes me, too?

When his chest rises and falls slowly, when I'm sure he's asleep, I reach for the hand that's laying in the grass. His fingers curl upwards naturally, almost like they're reaching for something. My fingers brush against the tips of his, across his palm—

"Hey! You two!"

Oh shit.

* * *

_Closing Song:_ "On Top of the World" - Imagine Dragons

* * *

Okay, so in terms of time, I plan on bringing Ken back after Christmas break, which is soon! But there's some important development in between, so we can't rush over that of course ahaha. Thank you for your support, and please leave a review! :)

**xx**_, _der kapitan


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